Just a Taste (The Great Storybrooke Baking Show AU)
by EmilyBea
Summary: AU where Emma and Killian are contestants on the Great American Baking Show where all twelve contestants hail from Storybrooke Maine. In this AU Emma is a book editor by day, while Killian is an architect who just moved to town a few months prior. Expect baked goods, flirtatious interactions, a little drama and a whole lot of fluff with a guaranteed HEA for Captain Swan.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome to my attempt at a CS 'GBBO' AU. This first chapter is quite a bit longer than the average chapter will be, but I am setting up the foundations for the rest of the story. I hope you all enjoy and thanks so much for reading!**_

If you had told Emma Swan a month ago, that her favorite TV show arguably ever was going to make an American version, that might not have surprised her. _The Great British Baking Show_ was a hit, both back across the pond and now in America. What _did_ surprise her was that the American version was making a twist, and that twist was to only use competitors from one hometown each season. The first season was to take place in Storybrooke, Maine, the small hamlet where Emma lived, and that… well that was crazy.

Up to this point, nothing of note had ever happened in Storybrooke, and local news never got more exciting than a passing family of moose, or the addition of a new baby to the town's ranks. Easily the most exciting thing that had happened in the years Emma had lived here was when the factory that made hot cocoa mix a town over had a spill and all of Storybrooke smelled of chocolate for two whole weeks. No one had been hurt, the damage was minimal, and yet it was all anyone could speak of for months.

Yet no longer could anyone claim that nothing ever happened here, because over the past few weeks, Storybrooke had become consumed with the rabid buzzing of TV crews and potential competition. The rules were clear, one had to live in Storybrooke Maine for at least six months prior to the shows taping. Other than that, anyone over the age of eighteen could compete for the title of… _best baker in town?_ In retrospect, the title seemed kind of pointless, but Emma knew that people were taking this seriously. With twelve bakers in the race, the town was divided between who would win, and who deserved the crown, or in this case the dish. As one of those finalists, Emma was already feeling the pressure, and she'd only just set foot in the big white tent where she'd be baking.

"I really hope this doesn't ruin the franchise for me," she said out loud, not realizing that anyone was around until a deep, accented voice responded.

"My thoughts exactly, love."

Emma turned to find Killian Jones, Storybrooke's newest resident, who she'd only really seen in passing standing behind her. Despite barely knowing her new neighbor, her heart skipped a beat when her green eyes locked with his blue ones, and she wondered how someone could have this magnetic pull over her. Maybe it was the dark hair that she wanted to run her fingers through, or the way that his smile seemed to tick up to one side. Perhaps it was the accent, or the thoughtful sort of look he had any time they crossed paths. Emma watched as he extended his hand in greeting, and she met it gladly.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced. Killian Jones, at your service."

"Emma Swan," She replied and he grinned at that.

"I know."

Emma raised a brow and couldn't help but smile, but just as she was about to ask him what he meant with his flirtatious tone, the ten others who were competing came barreling into the room, led by one of the shows production assistants.

"Were we not supposed to be here yet?" Emma whispered and Killian shook his head.

"Apparently not."

As the others filed in, Emma saw two of her best friends, Mary Margaret Blanchard and Belle French who had also made it to the final twelve people. While both women looked inclined to come near her, the PA's wrangled them to their designated stations and then addressed the group. Filming would be commencing shortly, and the first step was introduction to the judges.

"Prepare yourself for a big difference between camera and off-camera personas. We ask that you respect the personal space of our panel, and our hosts."

The small woman named Tink who spoke pushed the glasses she wore farther up her face as she carefully selected her words. She was the picture of efficiency, and Emma had seen her running around handling chaos at every turn in the auditions and now. It was very impressive, but Emma didn't envy her. Tink had so much energy, that when she moved about, it was like watching a hummingbird fly, fascinating, but seemingly crazed with how much effort was required.

"So they're bloody horrible, then?" Killian asked aloud and Emma bit her lip to keep from smiling outright. That was clearly what the young blonde PA was grappling with. Tink looked flustered and blushed as a tall man stepped into the room with his hands across his chest smirking at Killian. He dwarfed Tink in size, appearing well over six feet next to her modest frame.

"Enough of that, Killian. But as a matter of fact, some of them are. Heed Tink's warning and save yourself the unpleasantness. Now –"

"And you would be?" Catherine Parker asked flirtatiously. Emma made eye contact with Mary Margaret across the room and mimicked a gagging motion that had her pixie-haired friend giggling and Catherine glaring at her, but Emma didn't care. The woman was vile, and yet somehow was dating one of the town's nicest men, David Nolan.

"Liam Jones, EP."

This was surprising indeed, yet when Emma considered, she could see the similarities between Killian and this man calling the shots. Aside from the accents, both men were good looking, with dark hair and nice eyes. Though in all truth, Emma had to admit she liked Killian more. Just thinking as such had her tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She felt like a girl again, all nervous and crushing on some guy she barely knew.

"You're related to the Brit? How is that fair?!" This came from Leroy, the unofficial town crier and world's most dedicated gossip. He loved to play the victim, build up the drama, and then cower and run in the face of actual confrontation. Emma thought it highly possible that he had been selected for the show based on those tendencies, because his trial bakes seemed questionable at best and grotesque at worst.

"Seeing as I have no control over the judge's decisions, it's completely fair, Leroy. Now, there isn't a minute to waste. The sun in high enough and the set team has prepped, so let's get going." With that, Liam was off, with Tink just behind him and Emma looked over to Killian and smirked.

"So you're the reason they chose us for this."

Emma watched as a cute little blush spread across his cheeks, and it made no dent in how handsome he was. She allowed herself another moment to admire him, trying to convince herself that she could look now and steel herself against him once the cameras were there. His dark hair had gotten longer since he'd first moved to town, and now a lock of it had fallen to his forehead. Emma wanted to push it back into place, and ended up balling her hands into little fists to keep that inclination in check. Again she wondered how someone could endear her to them so quickly.

Before he could reply, the cameras were in motion and Emma felt the strangeness of the situation. Four different crews worked simultaneously, catching a whole host of angles in what seemed like barely organized chaos. Liam gave out his orders into a headset, and though they were whispered low enough that Emma couldn't hear them, she thought they'd still have a bit of bark to them. The man practically exuded authority; there would be no silent entreaties from him, but his methods seemed to work. In the span of a few minutes they'd gotten some stock footage of each contestant, which was no easy feat.

Aside from Emma herself, Killian (who Emma knew from word around town was an architect), Leroy, Catherine, Mary Margaret, and Belle, the final twelve included a range of characters. There was Catherine's boyfriend David, a real saint by all accounts for her dealt with her terrible temper and meaner qualities in stride. He was the town lawyer, and Emma's guess was that in such a post, one ran into a whole host of personality types. Beside him was Tiana, a waitress at Granny's who was both hard working and sincere and just before them was Lance, one of the deputies to the sheriff. Then there was Archie, who was a grief counselor, Robin who was a single Dad and the town's only contractor, and Ella who was a stay at home Mom and very nice if still painfully shy.

All in all, it was a pretty good representation of the town, though there was one clear demographic missing, for not a one of the gaggle of gossips (a band of elderly women who frequented Granny's) was there. That was because they were all running the betting ring that was consuming the town as they waited for intel on the show. Yup, this was Storybrooke, a place where the illegal betting rings were run by the AARP crowd. America was in for a real treat.

Into the tent at that moment strutted a tall brunette dressed to kill and donning four inch heels as if they were nothing more than slippers, and a man who stood another five or six inches above her with light brown hair and a handsome face. Emma recognized the former as her friend Ruby Lucas, and she nearly called out to see what the heck Ruby was doing here, but a worried Tink stomped down that inclination with a stern shake of her head to Emma. The man was still a stranger, but his face was familiar even if Emma couldn't quite place him.

"Graham Huntsman is a judge on this show?!" Catherine's grating voice sounded from the back of the tent, and though her instinct was to roll her eyes, Emma was glad that she hadn't, because watching Tink's reaction was so much better.

The small blonde looked near bursting, and was clearly unimpressed with Catherine. If Emma didn't know her to be loyal to Liam, she'd have expected Tink to shame Catherine from here to Sunday, but as it was, she bit her tongue and moved her attention back to the iPad in front of her. His name had sparked her memory though, and Emma returned her gaze to Graham, a man who had been on another show to try and find love, only then deciding none of the girl's were his perfect match.

"Yeah he is, Parker, so do us all a favor and shut that trap of yours before you embarrass the town further." Ruby's words were too much, and now Emma, Belle, and Mary Margaret were laughing so hard that they were shaking with it. They all three tried to keep quiet, but it was hard to do so, especially when looking back to Ruby and Graham, the latter of whom was blown over by the comment and looking at Ruby with newfound respect.

"If we're quite done, let's get the ball rolling shall we? Ruby, Graham you're up." He motioned to the camera beside him and Graham and Ruby both lit up with a happy smile.

"Hello and welcome to the _Great Storybrooke Baking Show_!" Ruby looked so excited as she said the words, while Graham feigned distress beside her.

"Um, no, Ruby, not quite. It's actually the Great _American_ Baking Show. We've just picked your town for the first season." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Ignore him, he's new to this. As I was saying, we have got twelve competitors rearing to go, fighting to see who will be the next King or Queen of this small town in Maine."

"Again, not what we're doing here. Back me up on this guys," there was general murmuring from the crew and a victorious smile from Graham. "And while you are right that we have twelve eager contestants ready to show us their skills in the kitchen, none of them will become royalty."

"So what's the take? Is it money? A new kitchen? A lifetime supply of cake?" Ruby asked and Graham shook his head, looking back at the camera.

"To be quite honest, it's a dish and bragging rights. Oh, and if this show does well enough, hopefully the love of the American people."

Emma placed a hand over her mouth as she watched the scene unfolding before her. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that all of this was off the cuff, completely free styled, but it wasn't. Whoever was writing this was doing a good job, it was funny and light and actually kind of true to the humor of the two women who hosted the show overseas.

Ruby and Graham went on and eventually made their way through the tent to a designated spot so that the camera crews could do a sweeping shot of all the contestants. Emma didn't know whether to smile or stay neutral, and she nervously tucked another lock of hair behind her ear. Yet soon enough that take was over and they were moving on to the judges' introduction. It was kind of exhausting to be honest, all of the setup. Maybe it was naïve of her, but Emma had kind of hoped to just come, bake, do some sort of ten minute testimonial style interview after for the editing room and get home, but this was an unaccounted for time suck.

When the judges were finally brought in, Emma was surprised again to see that one of the judges (there were three in this version of the show instead of the usual two) was another familiar face. Ruby's Grandmother who everyone just called Granny, the owner of the local diner, was dressed fancier than Emma had ever seen her and was clearly just as excited as her granddaughter about her new position. That she was sandwiched between two people who Emma did recognize was too much to handle.

"Contestants, it's time to meet the judges you'll be working to impress over the next few weeks." Graham said happily. "The first needs no introduction. Known to the culinary world simply as Mr. Gold, he owns nearly a dozen high scale restaurants, including _Dark Side Snacks_ in New York, this year's hottest spot. He's written three books, worked with the world's top bakers, and has ranked as _CakeBake_ magazine's Master of Cake's three years running."

Every contestant clapped for the man in question, who though clearly qualified to be here, could barely smile for the cameras. His long hair spoke of not caring, his suit was expensive but a bit too flashy, and he carried a cane for no noticeable limp. He looked so severe and so unimpressed, it left a bit of a sinking feeling in Emma's stomach.

Something she'd liked so much about the original show was that the Brits kept it light and airy. Though they didn't reward bad bakes, they also didn't look like being there was torture. This all of a sudden felt more like an Americans singing competition. Yet, Ruby's introduction helped lighten things a bit.

"And of course, 'her majesty' the lovely and talented Regina Mills. She is a co founder of the now nationally branded chain _Wicked Bites_ , is a New York Times best selling author of the _Royal Recipes_ series, and is the face of The Food Station with not one, not two, but three shows on the network. She's agreed to join us through some sort of magic it seems, for really, who has the time to be so accomplished?"

Regina laughed at that, and though Emma could tell it was fake and for the cameras, it worked and would play better on the show than whatever Gold had done. Regina understood her image and her brand, and this poised almost calculating good humor, coupled with her 'no-hair out of place' appearance was a part of that.

"We also have this season's 'Regional Consultant.' Known by the people of Storybrooke just as Granny, and determined to keep the moniker, she's the owner of the town's diner, and in many ways the glue that binds Storybrooke together. Show of hands, how many of you are regulars at Granny's?" The cameras panned over the contestants, all of who were raising their hands and Granny smiled happily. "Full disclosure, she is also my grandmother, and the reason I couldn't try out for this competition." Ruby joked.

"No, my dear, the reason you couldn't try out is you are a disaster in the kitchen," Granny quipped.

"Also true. Now, without further ado, let's get to today's challenges." Only despite Ruby's words, they didn't get straight to work. The camera's needed readjusting, and as they worked, Granny said something to Regina who was receptive if a little cool in her answer.

"No I've never been to Maine. So far it seems… quaint, but pretty." That was good enough for Granny, who always tried to sketch out a person's character on their first meeting. So when she looked over to Gold and asked his thoughts, she was in for a far less favorable reading.

"Look lady, I'm going to be honest with you when I say that this job is entirely about a check and bit of PR polishing. Call one too many people a fuck-up on video, and you start to lose your public sparkle. So for the next ten weeks, I may bite back my nuggets of truth, but know that I find this entire show a fiasco of the highest caliber and a thorough waste of my valuable time. Now hopefully you can take a hint and will refrain from speaking to me for the rest of this."

"Do you think he meant to use all those gold puns, or was that an accident?" Belle huffed under her breath, but Gold seemed to hear her. He sent a glare her way, but she merely smiled back, daring him to throw his salt and bitterness her way. It was an amazing sight to see, and Emma couldn't have been prouder or more impressed with her friend.

"Well in order to get that check, we need an actual show, so if we're quite ready, let's move on." Liam motioned the cameras once more, and they focused on Ruby and Graham who stood before the bakers with their instructions.

"Bakers, the task before you is simple: create a cake in ninety minutes with at least three layers and two filling variants. Your time begins… now."

As a small bell chimed, the kitchen went from stagnant expectation to fully mobile, with everyone working towards the task at hand. For this signature challenge and the one to come tomorrow, they were allowed to prep in advance, so this should be easy. The hard part would be a few hours from now, when Emma had half a recipe to go off of to make something that she'd probably never heard of.

"It would be a bloody embarrassment to mess this one up, eh Swan?" Emma looked over to Killian and nodded without saying anything. She was surprised that he'd once again said exactly what she was thinking.

"Killian, it appears you're making friends already." Ruby remarked, as she came up with Graham beside her and one of the camera crews to ask him about his intended cake.

"Are we to assume you're the town loner?" Graham asked skeptically and Killian shook his head before responding.

"Not intentionally, though being new to the area does have its drawbacks. Still, a competitive bakeoff seems as good a way as any to meet people."

Killian looked back at Emma and their eyes caught. She smiled before turning back to her own work, though she listened as Killian outlined his wild berry circle cake that would incorporate blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in one confection with a basic white base. Emma liked the idea a lot, and hoped she'd get a chance to try it later. He'd been smart to choose fruit that were in season. The freshness would make for an excellent treat.

When they were done with Killian, Ruby and Graham made their way around the room, and Emma felt herself relax into her own course of action. She worked diligently to combine the flavors just so, and make sure she had everything timed out as she needed. She was making a mocha latte cake, based off a recipe she'd been working with through most of the winter. It was her favorite drink, aside from cocoa, and in cake form it was out of this world. Her design was split into three distinct segments – the white cake infused with a minimal amount of espresso, a layer of chocolate frosting, and a layer of coffee frosting, then covered in both frostings mixed together. It was always a hit wherever she brought it, but still, Emma was worried, she didn't want to lose points for a stupid oversight, so needed to take her time.

"What you got there?" Ruby asked causing Emma to startle and nearly drop the cakes before they went in the oven, but she recovered and then threw a look up to Ruby. "Sorry, Ems. My bad."

Emma just smiled and waved her friend off and explained the cake's intention to the hosts as she set to making the frosting – She had three huge containers, one with each flavor variety, and while the cakes were on the cooling rack, she would set them to cool in the fridge, but for now, she mostly answered questions about her life and hobbies.

"So when did you start baking?" Emma didn't even need to think, she knew instantly.

"In college. I didn't ever have a place to try before that, but I always liked the idea. You know, every kid wants the smell of chocolate chip cookies when they walk through the door. I decided to make that for myself."

"What, your Mom wasn't the baking type?"

"I wouldn't know. Never met her. But it doesn't matter, because _I_ am the baking type," Emma said, "and if I'm still here the week we make cookies, everyone else is in serious trouble."

Ruby had looked like she might pass out at Graham's question, since she knew about Emma's past as a foster kid, but the look of pride in her friend's eyes now was true and sincere. Emma had handled the question with grace, not making herself a victim or coldly refusing to reply. She'd done a marvelous job, and to celebrate that, she allowed herself a taste of some of the mocha frosting.

"If your reaction is anything to go off of, love, we should all be very afraid for this challenge too." Killian's words pulled Emma from her internal reverie over the chocolate and she grinned playfully.

"Hey, you said it, not me." Ruby and Graham lingered just a moment longer before returning to the others as Emma moved her frostings to the group fridge neatly labeled with her name. They'd sit for fifteen minutes, to give her enough time to have the cakes cool and the frosting to get to the desired consistency. She passed the time, checking in on Mary Margaret and Belle and seeing they were on their way to some good-looking cakes too.

The problem came when she returned to the fridge. Emma arrived at the same time as Catherine, and watched as the blonde saw her approach and then 'accidentally' knocked over one of Emma's containers of frosting. The contents fell to the ground, spilling out and ruined in the blink of an eye. The room went silent, and Emma felt all of their eyes and the camera's turned to her and Catherine who had a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Oops, sorry about that, Emma. But good thing you made extra right?"

 _Breathe, Emma. Ripping this woman's hair out on national television will get you nowhere._ Emma stepped forward and took her two remaining frostings and whispered low to Catherine.

"Bring it. Whatever insecure, asinine moves you've got, I can handle."

Then Emma turned on her heel and proceeded to silently freak out. She most certainly did not have enough frosting for everything, and she didn't have enough time to chill another batch, which was necessary. She paced back and forth, trying to come up with something. She felt her friend's and Killian's eyes tracking her but she continued to move about, needing an idea and fast. When she had it, she set to work immediately.

The clock was running down and time was precious, but in the end Emma created a satisfactory replacement for the frosting – a sweet cream glaze that covered the cake with a sprinkle of cocoa on top. While the appearance wasn't as pristine as she'd hoped, the taste would still be stellar, of that Emma was sure. Just as she stepped away from her cake, the buzzer sounded and time was called.

"Bakers that does it for this round. Step away from your creations and take a breath, you've made it through the first challenge." Everyone applauded politely, but Emma just wanted this judging cycle over. She had just gone from a top contender, to a wild card, and that was a stressful thing, even if they were essentially playing for nothing.

The judges were called, making their rounds through the tent to see what worked and what didn't. The reviews were mixed. For some, like Tiana, who Emma was somewhat friendly with, they were glowing, while for others, like Leroy, they were bordering on insulting, yet most people stayed in the middle with both compliments and complaints. When they finally reached Emma, it was Regina who spoke first.

"Miss Swan, seems you've provided a less… _traditional_ circle cake." Emma nodded and tried to smile through her frustration.

"A mix up with some frosting, unfortunately, but when does a bake ever truly go perfectly?"

The other woman smiled at Emma's joke, while Mr. Gold looked less than impressed with the façade of the cake and Granny looked down right murderous at Catherine. She no doubt had heard what happened. It wasn't until they were cutting into the cake and each trying a bite that Emma felt any real anxiety though. After a moment of contemplation, Gold spoke first.

"Presentable or not, this is actually quite good."

"You sound surprised." Emma almost slapped a hand over her face in embarrassment but stood her ground as she heard both Granny and Belle smothering laughs for it. He meanwhile narrowed his eyes slightly as if she'd truly angered him.

"I actually like the design. It's very DIY friendly, and I think you could find this on any magazine cover. People love deconstructed anything made into cake." Such praise from Regina had Emma smiling again before turning to Granny.

"I don't know what you were planning to do with the rest of this, but plans have changed."

Emma watched as the older woman actually removed the cake from her table and began to walk away with it and shook her head stunned. There was a small break for people to do their testimonial responses, which Emma couldn't even remember completing before they were on to the technical bake – Regina's apple streusel cake.

While tensions were high, Emma stayed collected and moved through the ninety minutes with a sense of collectedness she hadn't expected. In fact, the only thing she noticed beside herself and the recipe before her was Killian, who took great care to speak with her throughout the time.

"I've been meaning to ask if you know what the ribbons around town are for." Killian's words as they both waited for their cakes to bake pulled a smile to Emma's lips.

"They're everyone's allegiances, for the competition. We've all been assigned a color, and the rest of our nosy neighbors can have up to three colors for the pool that the GG is organizing." Killian looked confused.

"The GG?"

"Sorry, the Gossip Gaggle. You know, the white haired coalition of ladies with the permanent table at Granny's?" Recognition set in for Killian and he laughed heartily.

"I rather like that. So what color are you?" Killian inquired.

"They gave me white, if you can believe it." He chuckled again, and the sounds sent a hum of pleasure coursing through Emma.

"I can. And do you happen to know the rest of us?"

"Yes…" Emma purposely held back to see if he'd keep asking, and she was rewarded with a pleading look from him.

"What can I trade you for such information, love?" She pretended to consider.

"You can tell me what you're making for the competition tomorrow."

"Vanilla mouse with a lavender infusion and raspberry frosting." Emma's mouth watered a little at the idea and she was slightly envious of that flavor compilation. It would surely taste wonderful.

"Your band is black, because you're the competition's dark horse." Killian grinned at that.

"So you're the light to my darkness then, Swan?" She raised her hands in defeat.

"Hey, I didn't make the color scheme."

"Tell him about the other bet!" Mary Margaret called from her side of the room and Emma flushed slightly.

"Yes, Swan, do tell," Killian implored.

"There's a pool about you too."

"About me?" he asked skeptically.

"Oh come on Jones. You're a single guy who just moved to small-town Maine. Women take one look and wonder who you'll end up with." The comment from David was both unexpected and entirely spot-on, though now that Emma thought about it, she had noticed David and Killian speaking a few times before. Perhaps they were friends. Still, Killian's jaw dropped and Emma stifled a laugh.

"Who's the favorite?" he asked, his breath a bit gruffer than before.

"David." Belle replied as she pulled her cake out of the oven. She was the first to do so, but still seemed pleased with herself.

"So everyone thinks Dave and I are gay?" He didn't say it like it was a repulsive statement, just like it was a clearly incorrect assumption.

"No. The old ladies just like a little fantasy. Plus you haven't asked anyone out and it's been a few months, so…"

"My brother is a bit shy, Emma, you'll have to forgive him."

Emma raised a brow at Liam's sudden comment where he'd broken the wall between producers and contestants and was about to ask why he would apologize to her in particular when her own buzzer went off and everyone began focusing on their cakes once more. Soon the time was up, and they were all being judged on a blind taste test. Things went very well for Emma, who actually came in second for the apple cake.

All in all, as the day was ending, Emma had to admit she'd done rather well, and that she was really looking forward to tomorrow, but she did have one tiny regret. She would have liked to talk to Killian once more, to see what Liam had meant, but her friends had other ideas. Ruby, Belle and Mary Margaret all decided that their first day deserved a wine night ending, and Emma couldn't turn down the chance to relax and unwind. Her queries, it seemed, would have to wait until tomorrow.

…

"Why didn't I think to incorporate a book into my theme?" Belle asked the next day, as Emma was working to decorate her _Peter Pan Petites_ in the allotted time they'd been given for their thirty-six cupcakes challenge. Emma shrugged in reply and Belle simply shook her head. "Let me guess, you'll have a book theme every week?" Emma nodded.

"I need an inspiration. I can't just come up with ideas on the fly, like you can." This seemed to appease her friend, but it sparked Killian's interest.

"Have a thing for reading, love?"

"It would be a problem if I didn't, seeing as I am an editor by trade." She didn't have to look over to him to see his surprise.

"How did I miss that?" Emma looked up to see him genuinely wondering and she looked at him quizzically.

"Researching the competition, Jones?" she asked playfully.

"Only you, love."

This caused a blush to creep across Emma's cheeks and she bent her head back to the cupcakes before her. They were decorated meticulously, with a miniature Jolly Roger placed over a swirl of green. She'd also included a little Pan's shadow and a fondant mermaid on each. Everyone brought their own stands on which to put their finished product, but Emma also had props to incorporate on the spread for her display. At one point, she noticed as the costume hook she'd brought was swiped away. Killian had taken it, in an attempt to get her to speak to him once more.

"Don't you have some cupcakes to make yourself?" Emma asked with a hand on her hip, playing at being frustrated, when all she actually felt was excited. She loved the attention from him, and she wanted more of it, which surprised her as she was kind of a guarded person. Her past experience had taught her that putting yourself out there romantically never paid off, yet the gleam in Killian's blue eyes made her wonder if she'd written love off too soon.

 _Pull it together, Emma, no one said anything about love,_ she thought to herself critically as he finally replied.

"Aye I do, Swan. But I'm afraid I won't be able to do much until I can get one of those beautiful smiles out of you." As if he'd willed it into happening, a full-blown grin broke out across her face.

"Has anyone ever told you that all the charm is a little suspect?" He looked affronted and waved the hook around as if it was a part of his being.

"Never, love. Usually women comment on my being devilishly handsome or my roughish appeal."

"You sound like a pirate."

"Captain Jones has a nice ring to it, actually," Mary Margaret offered from the back of the tent.

"How does she hear me from all the way over there?" Killian asked aloud and Mary Margaret herself responded.

"It's a teacher thing. My superpower is almost as cool as Emma's." Killian returned the hook to Emma's display and then finally retuned to his station, but he wasn't done with his questions.

"A superpower, Emma? You hold so much back about yourself." She laughed at that. He had no idea.

"She can tell when anyone is lying, always. She's never wrong." Belle sounded so proud of Emma as she said it that Emma had to turn to smile at her friend.

"That's a load of bull."

And just like that, the silence from Catherine was broken and Emma was once again set on edge by the rude woman. Still, Emma ignored her and went on with her cupcakes like no one had spoken. Emma did hear David asking Catherine to pull back some, but that only made Catherine more hostile.

"I just don't know why everyone thinks they're so great. Between her, the bookworm, and _Sister_ Mary Margaret it's ridiculous. I mean look at her," Catherine aimed her gesture at Mary Margaret in particular, "she goes about her life like birds dress her in the morning, but it's all a front."

David looked like he was truly angry at this point, and kept glancing to Mary Margaret to see if she had heard (which she had) and to see if she was okay (which she was). Still, it was interesting. Perhaps David wasn't so fully under Catherine's spell as they all thought.

"Just a friendly reminder that there are cameras around and the bitter words usually make the cut for television." Tink's intervention was controlled, but barely. Her dislike for Catherine was just as apparent today as it had been the day before and Emma was growing to like her more and more. In another life they likely would have been friends. As it was, she smiled at her thankfully and the petite blonde smiled back in kind.

Time went by quickly after that, and though they'd all had a bit of distraction, most of the contestants had nice looking end results. Only one was truly lacking and it was Leroy's. His frosting looked like it had been scratched on with a fork of all things, and the judges really couldn't seem to find anything kind to say at all. When it was revealed soon after that he would be the one going home this week, no one was surprised, including Leroy. What was surprising though was that Emma was the person chosen for star baker of the week.

"There was no way around it. Miss Swan provided three wonderful bakes for consideration, despite a bit of sabotage in the first round. She has a good understanding of flavor and presentation." Emma heard Regina's words and felt a lot of pride at all she'd accomplished this weekend. Gold's words were less uplifting.

"While no bake was perfect, she seemed to have a bit more control over her vision than the others."

"So verbose," Belle said as she rolled her eyes. Emma was starting to wonder what it was about this man that bothered her friend so much, still she couldn't deny the outbursts were funny and made her feel better.

"Emma's a good girl," Granny said. "And clearly I wasn't the only one who thought so. That Killian certainly paid her a lot of attention, even when it put his own treats at risk."

Emma looked to Killian who smiled at her and shrugged as if to say 'she has a point.' Emma couldn't help but laugh. When the cameras were finally finished getting what they needed from the judges, the producers came towards the contestants once more.

"As all of you know, we're working on a sped up model for the show, but it turns out it'll be far faster than we'd realized. Thanks to a few early cancelations from this season's scripted dramas, the network needs content fast. All of this footage will be cut down edited, and sent into the networks by midweek. We expect a Thursday or Friday time slot." Liam said all of this calmly but it caused a flurry of questions and comments.

"Wait, like Thursday or Friday of _this_ week?" Ella asked looking pale at the thought.

"Yes, this week."

"I thought this wasn't going to air until the holidays." Belle continued.

"That was the plan originally, but this is television, and they follow the money."

"How realistic is it that this is where the money is?" Archie asked.

"No idea. But for the sake of the dozens of people who are counting on this as a job, hopefully long term, lets hope the chances are high." Emma hadn't thought about that, though she'd met some lovely people over the past few days who did everything from hair and make up to lighting to security.

"Do we still need to keep who got kicked off a secret?" Tink and Liam nodded vigorously.

"Of course, that was in the agreement you all signed."

"Do you have any idea what else the network is canceling? I don't want to risk getting to attached to anything." Killian's comment had most of the contestants laughing (save for Catherine and Leroy) but it seemed to ease any lingering tension. With that they were dismissed, most to reconvene the next weekend.

Something occurred to Emma as she left the tent for her life outside once more. She had never actually expected this to be fun. Sure, it would be an experience, a great story and a cool thing to have on her life resume, but it wasn't what she'd thought of as entertaining. She was nervous about the cameras, shy of too much competition between her neighbors, and a bit scared she might not measure up skill wise, but this had been surprising. She'd had a great time, better than any weekend in a long while, and the person largely responsible for that had gorgeous dark hair, a sexy as sin accent and kind blue eyes.

"Emma!" Killian's voice from behind had Emma turning to him, waving to her friends that she'd meet up with them in one minute. "I know we'll be meeting again next weekend, but I was wondering if perhaps… you might be – well what I was hoping was that-,"

His stammering was adorable as he ran a hand through his hair clearly flustered, and Emma had an undeniable urge to kiss the shy smile that toyed at his lips. Somehow she knew that he wasn't used to acting this way. Like his brother he probably teetered closer to the edge of control and collectedness than this scene before her indicated.

"Here's my number." Emma said, pulling out a pen from her purse and writing it down on his hand. She could have found some paper, or just put it in his phone, but inexplicably, she wanted an excuse to touch him.

When she'd written it clearly, she smiled at him and turned around to head back home. She could have sworn she heard him mumble ' _Bloody hell'_ under his breath and it filled her with a rush of excitement. A moment later though, she spun around to see him once more. He was still standing there, staring at her as she walked away like he was in some sort of daze.

"I'll be waiting for your call, _Captain_." The fire in his eyes at her endearment was exactly the effect she wanted. Now all she had to do was wait.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it! Hopefully you guys liked it. Subsequent chapters will likely have one of the three challenges and the results featured and either a little bit of their normal lives, or recaps of it. There will be nine regular chapters in total (one per episode) and then an epilogue, HEA guaranteed. So thank you guys for reading, and hope you all have a great rest of your week!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: It's bread week this chapter of Just A Taste, and the Storybrooke contestants find themselves in a strange new world where the show's first episode has aired and people across the country not only know of Storybrooke, but of each contestant. Expect some tension between what Emma and the others want on and off camera, of course some much needed CS fluff, and baked goods. Hope it makes your Monday a little better, and thanks for reading!**_

 _Chaos_ , that was the best descriptor Emma had for the happenings under the big white baking tent right now. The remaining eleven contestants were all trying their best to make heads or tales of their latest challenge as the cameras moved about, but the charge in the room was less based on the competition and more fixated on the response that the show had publicly.

To say it was an overnight hit was an understatement, and in a matter of hours they'd gone from a completely unknown town, to a sensation that millions of people were interested in and rooting for. Craziest of all, was that it had taken only one fifty minute episode for teams to be drawn, and Emma seemed to be winning in the popular contest. Well, her and Killian, who not only were praised for their pieces, but for their chemistry. Emma blushed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours thinking about some of the things people had said.

It was such a bizarre way to start something, being filmed and now watched by millions, but she knew that the attraction simmering between she and Killian was real, and that even if it was terrifying, she wanted to take the risk. After exchanging numbers at the end of the last weekend, Emma and Killian had gotten coffee and even made it out for a real first date made up of dinner and then a nighttime stroll down by the beach to stargaze. It was beautiful and romantic, yet private. It wasn't something Emma would ever want to share on this show so that the world could know. Those moments were just for her and Killian. Well and her friends, who Emma broke down each element beat for beat with over cocoa the next morning.

As Emma worked to decipher the recipe in front of her though, the going was tough. This week they were working on Gold's _Sinful Cinnamon Swirl_ and on top of no baking temperature, they were given eight ingredients on their recipe list when only seven were needed. Still Emma pushed through, following her instincts and risking the fall out later. She'd done very well in the first challenge of the day with her 'sandwich bread' selection of brown butter infused challah, and if this didn't go her way, she should still be fine.

"Not exactly the most accessible recipe is it?" Ruby asked as she and Graham made their way with the crew over to Emma for her mid-challenge interview.

"Well look at this," Emma motioned to the paper, "Half of it's been redacted like its CIA level secrets. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it tastes great when done correctly, but all the pomp and circumstance only adds to the frustration."

"Amen!" Belle's call from the other side of the room had Emma laughing before returning to Graham and Ruby.

"So I take it you're not a fan of the 'decorative gold shavings' that the recipe calls for either." Emma fought hard against an eye roll, not wanting to come off as totally rude and disrespectful on television but she bit her lip before responding.

"Let's just say that I never use them in my baking. Maybe I've been missing something all these years, but I've never had any complaints about my lack of fourteen carat adornments on a loaf of bread."

Both Ruby and Graham laughed and the crew smiled at Emma, signaling that they'd gotten what they needed before letting Emma get back to her work. She finished her bread in the allotted time, though she noticed that yet again, the larger group's end results looked strikingly different. As they waited for the judges, Killian came up to stand beside her and whispered in her ear, confident that he wouldn't be heard or caught by the cameras.

"Hardly my idea of an ideal third date." Emma felt a surge of warmth course through her as she felt his breath against her ear and she smiled before looking at him and whispering in kind.

"Our third date is just an afternoon doing something we are now contractually obligated to participate in? You're cheeping out a little early don't you think?" He grinned at that.

"I propose a compromise. Consider this the prequel to the date, and at day's end, you come with me to escape the madness." Emma looked back around the frenzy in the tent and couldn't deny how lovely his plan sounded.

"I could use a little escape."

Killian appeared as close to forgetting himself as Emma was, and they were moments away from a kiss when they remembered where they were and pulled back. Not that Emma could fault herself for wanting one from him. She knew how he kissed now, and she was quickly becoming addicted to it. Still, they'd agreed on that night under the stars that they while the show was filming, they'd have a separation of their new relationship and the bake off. If going without a kiss for a few more hours meant less of the crazy public speculation, she was okay with that. Besides, the anticipation brewed it's own special brand of excitement.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret called and waved her over to her and Belle, looking like she had something incredibly important to tell her, though with Mary Margaret it was always hard to tell for she was always so excitable. Emma looked to Killian who seemed to understand and gave her a small smile.

"Go on love. I really should go bother David anyways." Emma smiled and moved to her friends, standing between Belle and Mary Margaret who quickly regaled her with some of the challenge drama she had missed.

"Guys, is that an empty plate?" Emma asked, only just noticing it.

"Someone put paprika on Archie's table instead of cinnamon." Instantly Emma knew that the only person horrible enough to do something like that was Catherine, but she wondered aloud why the woman would target someone as kind as Archie.

"Last week he went up to her and told her if she ever wanted to talk, his office was always open. He thought that her outbursts might have something to do with a past trauma."

Emma shook her head at Belle's words. So the man had the audacity to be kind and Catherine's response was sabotage. True, paprika and cinnamon were different colors, and a more experienced baker than Archie would have known that, but the man wasn't slated to win this. He had a few weeks left at best before this, so why waste the effort?

"Is this a distorted fame thing?" Emma whispered. "Like does she think being the show's villain will get her something in the long run?" Mary Margaret shrugged as Catherine's shrill voice pierced through the tent and made it's way to them.

"I hope they send the _Sister_ home, if only so I don't have to see those tacky pink numbers anymore." Emma held Mary Margaret's hand to keep her friend both calm and assured that what Catherine was saying wasn't true, but where Emma planned to step forward, it was David who said something.

"Catherine, stop." The blonde looked inclined to keep going, so David continued. "This has gone on too long, and I'm done. So unless you want a nationally broadcasted breakup, I suggest you keep quiet."

Emma looked from David to Killian, who seemed shocked but proud of his friend, and in that moment she knew that it was likely Killian who had talked some sense into David.

"Apologize to Mary Margaret." David said as he looked at her pixie-haired friend who was blushing under the intent gaze of the man she'd so long liked from afar.

"I don't think that- oh fine. I'm sorry." It was less than sincere but Mary Margaret nodded and turned back to Emma and Belle.

"I know it's probably not the right time to say so, but I think he's _sweet on you_." Both Mary Margaret and Emma held back laughter at Belle's singsong way of saying that last part, but Emma noticed Mary Margaret's eyes glance back to David who offered her a small smile.

"Do you think they're really over?" Mary Margaret asked, the hope in her voice so obvious. Again Emma took her hand and nodded.

"David is a good guy, a better guy than Catherine deserves by a long shot, so yeah I think now he sees it, and now it's over." Belle took Mary Margaret's other hand in friendly solitude, but the moment was broken when they heard Liam's voice.

"Did you get that? Perfect." Emma whipped her eyes to where he stood, entreating a camera crew to film them and now the eye roll she'd been holding at bay came through, causing Liam to laugh. "Even better, make sure we keep that."

"If only we could have the cooking show without the show part." Emma grumbled and her friends agreed readily, pulling the tension from her own body. Oh well, this was what she'd signed up for, and much as she feigned complaint, it was still exciting and definitely felt like an experience worth having. She looked to Killian almost involuntarily and saw him, arms crossed, staring daggers at his brother for the display and more warmth sprang through her. He was being protective over her whether he knew it or not, and the thought that he cared enough made Emma happy.

"Sorry for the hold up, everyone. We had a bit of a delay, but we're set to go now."

With Tink's warning, the judges filed in. Granny looked near wringing the neck of Gold if her death stares were anything to go off of, while Regina looked angry as well even if it was better contained. When the cameras came, one never would have guessed she was upset. They made their way through the breads, and near everyone had some big problem with theirs aside from Tiana and Belle, who both did rather well. When they reached Emma's though, Regina looked thoughtful.

"The structure of this one is good, let's see inside. Yes, not too much air, just the right amount of rise and a beautiful swirl of cinnamon."

"Not nearly enough gold though." Gold claimed and Belle choked on a laugh, her hand gripping Emma's arm causing Emma to want to laugh too, but she pursed her lips together, trying to contain her smile.

"The taste is fantastic, but I think there's a little something extra in here that wasn't actually in the recipe." Regina said the words aloud and looked to Gold as if his reaction was something she was particularly interested in.

"Hell it tastes better than the one we just ate in the other tent!" Granny proclaimed, too late retorting "no offense," to Gold who was near red with anger at this point.

"Doesn't matter, it didn't follow the recipe."

 _Had any of them followed that redacted mess, really though?_ Emma thought.

The judges moved on, and though she'd gotten such excellent praise, Emma's came right in the middle of the pile, much to the annoyance of Granny who kept looking at Emma with apology in her eyes. Emma waved it off discretely, not really caring, for certainly she wasn't going home this week, but still. Gold clearly had a huge problem with other people succeeding, and the faster they got through this, the sooner she'd be away from the man.

"Emma, a few words?" Liam asked after the rankings had been announced and everyone was waiting to go home. Emma nodded, glad she could get the interview of the day done early.

"Sure." They set her up outside in the place where they frequented for the shots and Liam dove straight in.

"You've been doing really well so far in the competition, Emma, any reason you think that is?" Emma smiled.

"I've been practicing at home during the week, but honestly, I'm just having fun. Thinking too much can really mess up a bake quickly."

"How did you feel about your ranking just now?" Emma shrugged, again, not wanting to create waves here.

"I'm still learning the rules, and while I didn't think adding an extra ingredient was a problem before, I can see that it might be if the aim of the exercise was to exactly recreate Gold's recipe." There, that sounded diplomatic enough.

"Do you think yours was better?" Emma laughed at that.

"I didn't have his, but it wouldn't really matter if it was. He has a baking empire and years of experience on me. I'm not silly enough to think that an amateur baker would know more about this than a professional."

"You're close with many of the people here, having known them quite a while, but you've also shown the most kindness to the town's newest citizen." Emma nodded, waiting for a question, but she didn't get one.

"I think that one of the best parts of Storybrooke is that even though it's small and might be insignificant from a global perspective, it has heart. This is a place where neighbors care and we look out for each other. Killian is a good person, and the town sees that."

"But do you see that?" Liam prodded.

"Do I see that Killian is a good guy? Of course I do. I wouldn't speak so highly of someone I didn't actually care for." Liam grinned.

"So are the fans correct in thinking that there could be something more between the two of you?"

"Look, Liam. I'm not talking about this. If you want to talk about baking or my feelings on a challenge that's one thing. For now, I'll just say that it's exciting that people are connecting with our town and our experience here, but that all of us are still people, living our lives and wanting a bit of privacy." With that, Emma removed her mic that they'd attached for her interview and left the area, frustrated that Killian's brother of all people was causing the issue.

"I'll bloody kill him." Killian said as soon as he saw Emma. "Truly, Emma I'm sorry. As soon as he pulled you aside I knew he was going to push about us, but please understand my brother means well. He's just heard me speak of you and…" Emma looked up at a clearly distressed Killian smiling.

"How long?" His eyes were wide with confusion when Emma asked the question and she longed to kiss that particular look away and replace it with the lust and wonder that seemed to come every time she kissed him in the past.

"I'm sorry love?" The lilt in Killian's voice was more pronounced from the emotion of the moment.

"How long have you been talking about me?" He went red and ran a hand through his hair.

"Since my first week in town, honestly." Emma was surprised at the confession but delighted nonetheless.

"Anyone ever tell you that you move pretty slowly for a guy so full of charm and ego?" He laughed at that.

"Don't let appearances fool you love. I sometimes find myself doubting, and with you, I had to wonder if I was good enough."

"Are you still wondering?" Emma asked, with the teasing fading from her voice and a longing for the truth remaining.

"I now know that you are entirely too good for me, but I'm too selfish to walk away."

Emma could see that underneath the statement there was a genuine worry, and that something she didn't understand was influencing Killian's thought process. Emma would wager that in his past somewhere there was a reason, but she didn't want to push. She could wait for him to see that she could be trusted; it was really only their second week of knowing each other after all.

"There it is again. All that charm is liable to get you in trouble, Jones." He moved closer to her, after a brief glance to check that no one was paying them any mind.

"I like a little trouble now and then, love."

"You seem like the type who would." Emma looked at his mouth, wanting to steal that kiss she'd been thinking of all day, but she held back, knowing that even if they didn't see anyone around, it was still too great a risk. She bit her lower lip so as to hold back and his eyes tracked the motion.

"Fuck my interview. My brother deserves to sweat a little for the stunt he pulled anyways. Let's get out of here, Swan." Emma laughed at his enthusiasm and followed him out into the rest of the evening, not sure of what was to come, but excited nonetheless.

…

The next morning's showstopper round was saddled with an unexpected element – torrential downpours. While the contestants worked through the morning to make their filled breads for the challenge that had been given to them, the droplets splashed down on the tent, causing a loud background noise. It was driving the filming crew mental, which was leaving each of the contestants a little more on edge than they might have been otherwise.

If this was a normal Sunday and rain was falling down, Emma would no doubt still be baking, the soft pitter patter of the rain would be calming, not reason for stress. To ease her own anxiety, Emma pretended that she was at home and let herself fall into the natural rhythm of baking her bread. This was a hobby she'd chosen because of it's peacefulness and eventual reward, so she let herself sink into familiar routines as a means of avoiding the spectacle around her.

"I'm sorry, Killian, could you say that again? They didn't get it that take," Tink said apologetically.

Emma looked over as Killian patiently awaited his mark to explain his creation for the third time. While it must no doubt have been annoying to him, he showed no signs of exasperation.

"It's a feta and pesto twist loaf, and the secret is in the filling. If you leave too much air, the bread bubbles and bakes irregularly. It needs to be tight, but not left to rise too long."

"So clearly it's a walk in the park." Ruby said, thankfully changing her response so Killian could have a genuine reaction instead of reiterating the joke the writer's had made.

"I've gotten it right once, and tried three times, so hopefully, my record improves with today's outing."

"Have you had anyone try it?"

Emma ducked her head to conceal her blush, but no one seemed to be looking her way anyways. Truth was _she_ had been the taste tester and she had been delighted with the bread when she had it last night. Even the next day the bread was decadent, and when heated slightly it had been fantastic. With the bread, and some other home made food that he'd prepared in the hopes that Emma would say yes to a date, Killian and Emma enjoyed an impromptu picnic in one of the smaller parks away from the town center. None of the new tourists who were looking to see the town from television made their way that far from the hum drum of Main Street, and Emma and Killian had a beautiful time and got to see a gorgeous sunset. It was very romantic, and another of those precious private moments she'd come to cherish.

"I have, love, and the reviews were all of the raving variety."

"Someone would have to be raving mad to try anything you make, Jones." David's pun-filled call from across the room had everyone in the tent enjoying a laugh and signaled the end of Killian's interview.

As time went on, and the bakers got their breads in the oven, the smells that swirled through the tent were strong and mostly pleasant. The contestants were divided pretty evenly between sweet and savory, and now all the aromas blended together into such a heady mess it had Emma on the verge of sneezing, but she held back. The clock was ticking down, and with every moment, she was closer to submitting her final bake of the weekend. She'd taken this week's inspiration from _Oliver Twist_ , and though it was kind of underwhelming, she was still proud that she'd even managed a book themed bread when it wasn't exactly a medium that leant itself to design.

Shaped in an 'O' for the obvious reason, Emma's _'I want s'more'_ bread was a graham cracker white base, filled with chocolate and a marshmallow fluff. Each piece could be torn off, almost like a monkey bread, which Mary Margaret had made, but instead of glazing it entirely, Emma carefully drizzled some melted chocolate in a purposeful design. It was a lot to do in the little time she had for the challenge, but as the bell rang and the bake ended, Emma finished, pleased with the end result.

Unlike the day before, the judges managed to make their appearance in a timely fashion, and the energy that came with that was notably easier, at least until they tried the first bread. It was Ella's, and though Emma hadn't paid much attention to it before, she noted that the judges seemed to dislike even the smell of the loaf she'd created.

"Remind me again what the flavor mix was," Regina prompted kindly.

"It's a buffalo chicken and blue cheese loaf," Ella said, now shy and unsure of herself.

"I wouldn't eat it if I were you two, for one reason alone. This blue cheese has gone bad, and anyone with a nose can smell that. Honestly the fact that no one has fainted from how ghastly this is all day is a miracle."

Gold's words were cruel and Ella stood there in shock, holding her abdomen where a baby that was nearly five months along resided. She'd come on the show knowing she was pregnant, but wanting to be a part of the process because her sons were so excited about the town getting a TV show. At that moment Granny stepped in to save the day.

"Ella, I think we might actually take this as good news, honey. There's an old wives tale that says some mothers lose all sense of smell when pregnant with a girl." Gone were the tears from Gold's cutting reply, and now there was a hopeful smile.

"You think so Granny?"

"Only time, and a doctor's visit will tell dear. Until then, avoid baking with cheese."

Ella laughed and the judges moved on, one by one down the line breaking down each bake with care until they reached Robin's. Emma knew the man as a single Dad with a big heart and a smile for anyone. He was easy going, charming, but not over the top, and genuinely kind. That he was also handsome didn't hurt matters, and Emma watched as Regina noticed. Never had the woman allowed herself to seem off balance, yet when Robin spoke about his marbled ham and cheese loaf, she was clearly thinking of other things, probably of the not so appropriate variety.

"For the love of God Regina, stop staring at the man and eat your bread."

 _There it was, Gold's comment had finally pushed someone too far,_ Emma thought to herself. There was fire brimming in Regina's eyes, a look of embarrassment coupled with anger across her features that in a second were morphed into a wicked smile.

"Can you blame me? I get to look at your grimacing mug all day, I could use a nice break." Then she winked – Regina Mills, picture of class and decorum and baking royalty winked at Robin in front of all the cameras, and he blushed. Emma was shocked, unable to keep her mouth closed as it hung, slack and disbelieving. Was this happening?

"Perhaps we'll get some reprieve from romantic speculation. A judge and a contestant together should be so much more intriguing." Killian whispered to Emma who smiled at him until she heard Tink muttering beside them.

"Not likely, with Liam intent on matching you two up come hell or high water."

Emma covered her mouth to muffle a laugh. Even though she thought Liam's methods were lacking, she did like that he was watching out for his brother and seemed to think Emma a good fit for Killian. Despite the feigned arguments and the frustrated moments, Emma knew that Killian had nothing but love for his older brother. Her not passing muster with Liam would be like Killian falling short with Mary Margaret, Ruby and Belle. It might not end things, per se, but it would certainly inflict some damage on a new relationship.

When the ranking was done Emma managed to stay another week, as did her friends, and it was unfortunately Archie who was heading home after sabotage and a lack luster final bake. Meanwhile, Mary Margaret was pronounced the star baker of the weekend, though apparently much to the chagrin of one Mr. Gold.

"I hate to reward something that goes by the name of _monkey bread_ , but the flavors were there, and she was consistent all weekend, unlike many of the others." Gold was giving his post-judging testimonial on one side of the tent, as Regina did hers on the others.

"Miss Blanchard showed a lot of finesse in the first two challenges, and today she brought us on a journey. She told a story about what the bake meant to her and that excitement and feeling is what made her bread so good. As professionals we often forget that, it becomes a job or routine, but without an element of love or hope, a bake cannot be fully actualized. There will always be something missing without passion."

Emma thought it was interesting that the same thing could be said about people. Sometimes people went through life unfeeling or guarded for whatever reason, as Emma knew, for she had long been such a person herself. But where habit and routine made way for a feeling of contentment, one couldn't be really happy without hope or belief in something more. Without being on this show Emma may never have realized that, and she thought, not for the first time, how glad she was that she'd been given the chance to do this.

"I'd like nothing more than to steal you away again tonight, love, but I overheard Mary Margaret and Belle mention something about a movie night," Killian said when the larger group had dispersed.

Emma nodded and informed him that one Sunday a month for the past few years, the friends (including Ruby) made homemade pizza, watched a romantic comedy, and pretended that Monday wasn't mere hours away. This was the first time she'd ever been somewhat upset that she was going though. Emma would have liked a little time alone with Killian. As if he could read her mind he bent low and whispered in her ear.

"The lovely thing about this town, Emma, is I'm mere minutes away, so if by chance you find yourself missing me tonight… know that I'll find you, should want me." She looked at his blue eyes and fell into the intensity there.

"I'll want you."

Killian grinned at her admission and moved a lock of hair behind her ear. It sent a spark through Emma, and for a moment she'd forgotten their promise. Someone might have seen that, but in the end, Emma didn't truly care. All that mattered was that tonight she and Killian would get another one of those private moments, and the promise of it wrapped around her, warm and wonderfully right.

 _ **Post-Note: So there you have it. Week two has come and gone, another Storybrooke character bit the baking dust, so to speak, and we had more fluffy CS moments. Hope you guys liked the fluffiness, and as always, I love hearing your feedback and engaging on what you guys would like to see in the story. Hope you all have a great week and are surviving after last night's episode. Until next week!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Week three is 'biscuit' week everyone, and you know what that means – actually maybe not. What it means is lots of fluff for CS, some development on other couples I've been gradually pairing, more interactions between judges, hosts and contestants, and a lot of yummy theoretical food. Hope you enjoy!**_

"Biscuits?!" The word was stated in alarmed question by at least half of the contestants, to clarify what the hosts had meant as Emma bit back a smile.

Surely the producers couldn't have planned this reaction better, for it showed that many of these competitors hadn't actually seen the original show. But what many were currently worried about, Emma was surprisingly okay with. She knew what it really meant – crackers and cookies day.

"In tribute to our British counterpart, we too are having a day celebrating what our friends across the pond call 'biscuits,'" Graham said. "They can be savory, or sweet, thin and crispy, or sometimes here melty and gooey."

"Jones, what is this guy on about – is this a good day or a bad one?" David asked, unwilling to listen to the entire written dialogue from the judges and now Emma let go of the fight against her smile. She couldn't help it, especially when she saw Killian's look of surprise.

"They'll have us doing a cracker, a cookie and then perhaps something else. Right?" Ruby and Graham nodded.

"Is that something else an actual biscuit, because if not, that's misleading." Killian threw his hands up in the air at Lance's question.

"Don't look at me, mate." Quieter and only for Emma, Killian added, "Though to be fair, it was our word first."

"That may just be the most British thing I've ever heard." Emma replied before bringing their attention back to the hosts.

"Now that you're all caught up on what a biscuit might actually be, we give you your first challenge. A savory biscuit, or what around these parts is called a cracker. You must have thirty-six to present to the judges, all of them identical, and don't think our magistrates wont notice. There's not a single set of identical twins my grandmother hasn't sniffed the differences out of, as you all well know." Emma wrinkled her nose at that line in particular from Ruby. "What Emma?" Ruby asked.

"Well now you've just made it seem like Granny goes around smelling people to identify them." Ruby covered her mouth to giggle, probably only just realizing what her written line had made it sound like, but got herself together before the bell was set for them to start.

"All right bakers," Graham led before Ruby joined him. "On your marks…"

"Get set…"

"Bake!"

The whole group followed those instructions, working towards their first challenge trying to get it right. In truth, Emma had never made crackers before watching this show. It had never occurred to her that one could make them at home and they'd turn out better than the ones that you could buy at the store. Oh how wrong she had been, for now a few years later, she never bought crackers from the box anymore, and felt because of it she had a leg up on this competition.

"Do you think I could put bacon in a cracker?" Ella asked to no one in particular. Emma herself had never tried that, mostly because they needed to be so thin. Cutting bacon to accommodate the correct shape might be hard.

"Ew, why would you want bacon in a cracker?" Catherine replied coldly and Ella shook her head as she stared down at her recipe. Emma's heart went out to her, because she seemed to be truly stumped at the task at hand, but soon enough she was mixing together a batter, and Emma became so wrapped up in her own bake, she lost track of Ella's worry.

"Whatever the heck is in your oven smells to die for," Ruby said when she and Graham made their way to Emma a while later as the crackers were baking. Emma smiled and agreed.

"It's a three cheese blend incorporated into the dough, sun dried tomato and a hint of rosemary." Graham looked very impressed.

"Wow, do you even need to couple something with a cracker like that?" Emma shrugged.

"You can eat them by themselves I suppose, but the best thing in my opinion is to take a little bit of mozzarella and melt it on top and then add a slice of prosciutto."

"You didn't happen to…" Graham began but he lost his words mid mouth water.

"Bring some for you and Ruby to try? Actually I did Graham, so no worries."

At that moment, the timer went off and her crackers were ready. Emma pulled them from the oven, convinced that they were thoroughly done with the right amount of crunch and the best level of crispness possible. She had made forty-eight instead on thirty-six, learning in the past that it was better to cook a few extra just for appearances sake, and while most of them were moved to the cooling rack, she took ten and made the small treats so that the hosts and her friends in the competition could try. All this baking was a lot of work after all; everyone deserved a snack before the judging.

"I don't think we're supposed to have a favorite in the running, Emma, but you might just be mine after that. Holy cow, that's good."

"Careful Graham, your Midwestern roots are showing. I don't think anyone has said 'Holy Cow' since the state fair of 1908." Ruby's jest pulled a cute moment from the two hosts, that Emma knew would play great on the show, but she had to wonder in that instant if maybe there was more than a playful friendship blooming between her friend Ruby and the reality television star.

"Sorry we can't all hail from some tiny town in Maine."

"Oh no you don't, if you're about to talk badly about Storybrooke, you better stop. We might be messy, but we have fun living that way." Mary Margaret's defense of the town had Emma mouthing ' _messy?'_ to her friend in confusion. The pixie-haired woman shrugged, and Emma assumed it must be some new slang term the kids were using. As a teacher, Mary Margaret always had a leg up on that stuff, so Emma just decided to trust her. "Besides, Emma probably won't give you any more samples if you say stuff about her home."

"Speaking of homes, Emma, you haven't always lived in Storybrooke." Emma's defenses were on the rise with this line of question, as they always were when confronted with her past. She tried to avoid thinking about the way she'd been raised, and the loneliness that defined her life in the foster system. She certainly didn't want to be getting into it on national TV.

"I moved around a lot as a kid, but I think home is where your heart is, and that's Storybrook to me." Still Graham didn't let it go, no doubt prompted by the production staff behind the camera.

"So before then what - your heart was a wanderer? Your parents didn't feel strongly about laying down roots?"

There it was – the inquiry into her parents and just as Emma was going to try and find a way to tactfully say, _'I don't know my parents, why can't you just leave me alone about my past?'_ a loud clanging came from Killian's station. In seconds, the camera had left Emma and was making towards him, with the judges in tow.

"What happened?" Emma asked and Mary Margaret filled in as she ran over to Emma's table.

"He just dropped his entire tray of crackers!"

Emma's eyes grew wide with shock – _seriously_? There was less than twenty minutes left. That left no time for him to remix and bake it the correct interval. At best, Killian would have crackers that were too soft.

"That's awful," Emma mused as Mary Margaret's hand came to Emma's arm and squeezed.

"Honey, he did it for you." Emma tore her gaze from Killian to look into her friend's eyes.

"What do you mean…?" But Emma understood already.

Killian had seen how uncomfortable she was with the line of questioning and even though he didn't know all of the details himself, he sacrificed his crackers to become this episode's story of woe. He'd spared her a lot of public sympathy, and he'd done it by undercutting his own standings today. Emma looked back over at him, watching as he calmly remixed the dough, not leaving it to rise and only for a moment, he stole a glance at her. Their eyes met, and Emma had a flash of understanding.

 _I'm in love with him._

The words rang out in her head so strong and sure that there could be no denying them. So what if it had only been a few weeks that they'd really known each other? Crazier things had happened. In that short time Killian had accomplished so much – he'd torn down the walls Emma erected against nearly everyone while also giving her so much of himself. He showered her with the affirmation that she was lovely and desirable and a good person and he did it without ulterior motives. And he saw her where so many other people could only look. With Killian, Emma was fully honest and giving of herself and she was rewarded with nothing but genuine caring and proof that he felt for her too. Whether it was love in Killian's eyes or just a serious fondness, Emma wasn't yet sure, but of her own feelings she had no doubt. She was in love with Killian Jones, and that in itself was it's own special kind of miracle.

She moved towards him, taking a step, wanting to see if there was anything she could do to help, but Mary Margaret's arm held her back. She kept Emma in place, and when Emma looked into her friend's eyes she realized why. The cameras were still watching the rest of the contestants, mostly to see the reactions, but one camera in particular was trained on Emma with curiosity. If she went to help him, she'd be bringing herself back to the forefront and some of Killian's sacrifice would be for nothing.

"I never realized my life made for such great TV," Emma said a little bitterly, resenting the fact that this show was toying with her a bit for an audience tear jerk or a ratings boost.

The producers had tried the past few weeks to highlight Killian and Emma's relationship, and now they were trying to exploit her past. If this was how they did things in the original franchise, Emma as an audience member was completely oblivious and clearly everyone they'd chosen for the competition lived average, bland lives. Now her past was becoming a liability, and what Emma wanted for her future had to be protected at all costs.

What was most distressing about this though was that the person she felt so in opposition to was Killian's brother of all people. No doubt Liam had cleared the questions about Emma's childhood, and if Emma had to hazard a guess, that fact was what still had Killian clenching his jaw as he got his crackers into the oven once more.

A lifetime passed in those remaining ten minutes as Emma and the others prepared their displays for the judge's consideration, but no one stood out to her more than Killian, who with quiet determination at least created something to be tasted by Gold, Regina and Granny. He hadn't let his set back keep him from providing something for the challenge, and for that reason Emma was proud as well as grateful. Now though, she didn't give a damn about the rankings or the scores. All Emma wanted was to get Killian alone and thank him properly.

Actually that wasn't all, she also wanted to tell him everything. For the first time in her life, she thought she'd found a man who wouldn't look at her as broken goods once she said the words, once she revealed what life had truly been like as an orphan and a lost girl. Killian would still see her, and maybe he could one day grow to love her as much as she realized she loved him.

"These are raw." Gold's words were spat out with such condescension at Killian, that it had Emma's hands balling into fists. Did he need to be so blatantly horrible to people? Was his own life so miserable that he took joy in being cruel?

"That they are," Killian responded, unaffected by the harsh tones of Gold's voice, which only made his tormenter gruffer. Gold made a show of breaking apart almost a dozen of the crackers to show that they wouldn't snap as they should. "Mr. Gold, I can assure you that while my bake lacked crispiness, it does have consistency. They will all be raw if one is."

"What is this 'raw' business? They're cooked, just soft, and if you keep putting your hands all over every one, I can't possibly try it." Granny shoved Gold's hand back grabbing herself a cracker and Regina did the same, trying it and nodding. "The taste is good, so what happened?" 

"A bit of clumsiness I'm afraid. I dropped my first batch and had to make a second."

What Killian neglected to say was that he'd dropped them for Emma, and that it had been selflessness that brought about a less than spectacular showing from him. Emma wanted to say that, but she held her tongue, allowing the judges to go on. When Killian stepped back from their examination though, his eyes caught Emma's and he smiled. The chill that had clung to her and the anxiety that was there only moments before now dissipated. He had the most amazing ability to calm her, and that was much needed as the judges came to assess her food.

Her reviews were far superior, earning her the praise of all three judges (well two, Gold just kind of made a weird humming sound before nodding and walking away). In the end, Emma's were far and a way the favorite, while Ella and Catherine had struggled. Seemed bacon in a cracker was not in fact a good idea, but neither was Catherine's kale monstrosity that had made the crackers green and bitter. Both women had much to prove in the next challenge, which was, interestingly enough, strawberry shortcake. It allowed the contestants, finally to show the judges what biscuit meant in America.

This recipe was Granny's and one that probably every Storybrooke citizen had consumed at one time or another. Though while they were all familiar with the treat, that didn't make it an easy competition. Where Granny gave them every ingredient, she somehow neglected to give instructions on how to mix them together. People were trying to mix this like cake or cookies, but Emma knew from her time making this dessert before that this was a cold batter. Each bit of butter and each pour of milk was chilled, and thus the mixing process was very different. That knowledge gave Emma the advantage, and had her finishing in first for the day. All in all she'd managed to do very well, but she was anxious to leave this day behind her. There had simply been too much drama for her liking, and now, she was looking forward to a quiet evening, hopefully with Killian, away from the craziness of this show.

…

The next morning, as Emma stirred awake, she felt the strangest sense of warmth around her. In the moments between sleep and awareness, when her eyes were still closed and her mind still a little foggy, she thought it might be a warm blanket, until something moved against her and her eyes opened. The man she saw beside her made her smile. Killian was still asleep, curled around her like he would never let go.

In sleep he looked so peaceful, and any of the tension that he had the day before was gone. His hair had fallen across his brow, nearly shielding his eyes, and this time Emma let herself push it back, careful to keep the touch so light that he shouldn't stir. When she brought her hand back to where it had been laying on his chest and his breathing was still even, Emma relaxed again and allowed herself to think back on the night before.

When they'd stolen away from the big white tent, Emma invited Killian to her house for a low-key night. She'd promised take out and a movie on Netflix, but the latter had never actually happened, for after dinner, Emma had felt the need to speak her truth.

" _What you did today… I'll never be able to thank you enough." Killian reached out to take her hand as they stood in the kitchen cleaning up and when she looked into his blue eyes, Emma only saw patience and acceptance._

" _You don't owe it to anyone to tell them the story of your former life Emma. If me dropping things helps spare you from painful memories, I can do it all day long." Emma laughed as his arms came to wrap around her in a hug she so desperately needed. While she was enveloped in the warmth of his chest, she felt safe enough to speak the words._

" _I never knew my parents. I was found abandoned on the side of a highway with nothing but a blanket that said my name on it. I tried to be the kind of kid people would want, but nothing ever stuck, and I ended up bouncing around from home to home. It wasn't until I was a teen that I realized being unloved and unwanted hurt less if you ran. So I was a runaway, causing the system problems left and right. It went on like that a long time, until I found Storybrooke." The mistiness in her eyes manifested finally to tears as Emma pulled back to wipe them away and then looked in Killian's eyes._

" _The people here, they could see I was hurting, and they didn't push, they just let me in. I met Mary Margaret, and Ruby and Belle. They were all enrolled at UMaine a few towns over, and they helped me get a job so I could do the same. Things shouldn't have turned out as well as they did for me. Because of that, I'll always look at this place like it's magic." Killian nodded his understanding, placing a soft kiss to her lips before pulling back._

" _I think that's a good way to describe this town, love, for it's where I met you, and that is nothing less than miraculous." He brought her hands up then and kissed them each lightly before going on. "Though you started in this world alone, Emma, I hope you know that those days are over. So long as you let me, I will be here by your side. It would be my greatest honor."_

"You're thinking of last night, love." Killian's voice in the present startled Emma a little bit and brought her back to this moment.

"How did you know that, sleepy head?" He smiled before opening his eyes, and Emma felt her heart nearly stop. He was way too good looking for her sanity.

"Your pulse was beginning to pick up. I'm assuming you were getting to the part where things escalated in the kitchen."

Emma couldn't help but blush at his words. What Killian meant was that after his profoundly touching words, Emma had jumped on him, closing the distance between them and showing him with her body what her words couldn't yet seem to say. They'd made love all through her little house, and it had ended here, in the comfort of her bed, a place she had no interest in leaving. The thought that they had to soon to get back to the tent brought a frown to her face.

"I think we should throw the competition. I want lazy Sundays with you." Killian's hands tightened around her as he brought her in closer and kissed her.

"In time we shall have as many lazy Sundays as you might want, love. But I rather like the idea of you winning that dish at the end of this and being the Queen of this town. Perhaps then I can convince you to make me your King."

Emma felt a rush of warmth move through her. His hints at a long and happy future together for the two of them always brought such reactions, and Emma was just a moment away from saying she loved him when he pulled back the blanket and hopped out of bed. All thoughts then flew from Emma's mind as she looked at her very good-looking (okay downright delicious) boyfriend completely naked and coming around to her side of the bed. He gently picked her up, but it still pulled a little yelp from her.

"Killian? Where are we going?" The low rumble of laughter in his chest reverberated through her.

"We're on a tight schedule love. If you want to get to the taping on time, we should probably share a shower." Well, she certainly wasn't going to argue with that idea. In fact, Emma had a feeling she was going to thoroughly enjoy this start to her morning.

…

"It's so disappointing that I can't just make chocolate chip cookies," Belle huffed out loud as she mixed a very complex mixture around in her bowl. "If they're good, they should be allowed."

"Technically they are," Emma replied, trying to be helpful.

"Oh really, because when a judge says, and I quote _'if any one even thinks to provide me with a run of the mill chocolate chip variety I will throw it away,'_ that seems like maybe it's not the best course of action." Emma understood that the frustration in Belle's tone wasn't for her. It was squarely aimed at Mr. Gold.

"I'm surprised you're not making them just to spite him." Mary Margaret's comments had Belle pausing, as if considering whether to do just that before waving the idea away.

"He's not worth losing this over. So everyone can just deal with these turtle cookies."

Emma laughed, because she highly doubted any one would be _'dealing with them.'_ Loving them was a more probable outcome. Emma had tasted these cookies of Belle's at more than one gathering, and they were spectacular. Emma meanwhile focused on her two types of batter before her. Her book for this weekend was actually a play, _Romeo and Juliet_. To incorporate the story, Emma was relying on word play and a meticulously thought out design for her presentation.

Instead of the Capulet family fighting against the Montague clan, it was the Cappuccinos versus the Macadamia cookies. As she scooped the chilled dough onto her trays, she made sure each ball was completely uniform before baking and set the timer for thirteen minutes, the exact time needed for both types of dough. Then, while those were cooking, she made two types of drizzled glaze for decoration. Each cookie variety now had it's own 'sigil' to represent it's cookie family. The cappuccinos (who were a chocolate base with the espresso added in) were to receive a white chocolate frosting to create their intricate 'C' designs, while the Macadamias were getting a red velvet inspired glaze to make red 'M's.

The tray Emma designed to set them all up on had individual stands to keep the cookies upright and turned as if in battle with each other. She also was making extra cookies, to allow for some broken pieces (like casualties in the war between the families). All in all, the design was a pretty amazing reenactment of the conflict between the two houses, and when she was finally done setting everything up, she heard a low whistle.

"Damn, that is gonna be hard to compete with." David's comment pulled Emma's attention to the man himself and his display, which lacked the same intricacies but by no means looked bad.

"If I know Emma, they taste better than they look." Mary Margaret's compliment brought a happy excitement to Emma's chest. She liked being good at this, hell she was putting in enough effort, and had been baking for so long that she should hope she was a capable baker.

David and Mary Margaret's comments though, sparked a memory of talking with her friends this morning. Killian and Emma arrived at the big white tent with about fifteen minutes to spare, and Mary Margaret, Belle and Ruby had already been in attendance. All it had taken was one look at Mary Margaret to know there was something up, and the friends moved to the far part of the lawn, which was far away from prying eyes and nosey neighbors to talk all about it.

Last night Mary Margaret and David had spent a bit of time together, just as friends Mary Margaret insisted, though Emma was highly suspect of that. Over the course of their evening walk through town, they'd learned a lot about each other, and Mary Margaret found out much more about the nature of David's relationship with Catherine.

It turned out that the Nolans and the Parkers had known each other for decades, and while David and Catherine were friends as kids, they'd grown apart until a family reunion a few years ago. David had seen the differences in Catherine then, but had pressures from his family to try and make a union between the two families work. He'd also had a fondness for the girl Catherine once was. David didn't know all the particulars, but surely something had happened to make her the way she was now, and he had tried to be patient and support her. Still, recently, he'd come to accept that marriage to Catherine would be settling for less than love, and he didn't want to think that he would end up unhappy like his parents were.

This was what Emma thought of as the final minutes counted down for the challenge, and she considered what all the implications could be of such words. David and Mary Margaret had a tangible spark between them, and there was certainly interest on both sides. Now the two just needed to be brave and try and push forward. Easier said than done though, because from what Emma could tell, they were both very slow movers. She wanted to talk to Killian about this to see if he knew anything, but they had a judging to face and any inquiry would have to wait.

As expected, Emma's cookies were a big hit winning her the title of star baker for the weekend, but there were some weaker showings for sure including Ella, who after a lack luster first day was probably the one who would be going home. Ella though was unfazed and even a little cheerful at the prospect, and Emma could only assume it was because this was a lot of effort and responsibility to take on as a mother and someone expecting another child. When the judges did decide to let her go, she had no regret or resentment in her eyes, and the farewell was easy. Things went almost perfectly until Emma walked past Catherine giving her day's end interview.

"This competition has been good for one thing: opening my eyes to how trivial this town and the people who live here are. My goal now is to win if just to keep the others from doing so. America should see that this isn't just the happy go lucky place you've all made it out to be, and despite what you guys have put out there, this place isn't perfect. It's actually rather hellish."

Emma considered Catherine's cold words, and saw that the woman truly hated this place, leading her to believe that perhaps Archie's words had been right, and David's concerns were merited. Something had happened to her to make her this disdainful. It wasn't Emma's job to figure it out, but her heart still went out to Catherine, even if she had made a habit of cruelty towards Emma and her friends. Emma could only hope that Catherine came to terms with whatever lay in her past, and if she would be happier away from this town, that she had the strength to go. There was one thing for certain though - no way Catherine was winning this competition.

"Quite an interesting day we've had, love" Killian said to Emma, his words filled with hidden meaning that only the two of them could know but his gaze moved past Emma. "And it seems love might be in the air for more than one party under this big white tent."

Emma looked to see David and Mary Margaret chatting happily and Robin speaking with Regina as well, but when Emma turned back, Killian only had eyes for her and he looked at her like she was everything.

"I think that has less to do with the tent and more to do with this town. You didn't see a lot of happy couples meet on the old show," Emma quipped and Killian chuckled at that.

"Perhaps you're right. Happy then that we are on this new one." Killian reached for her hand, and the zing of pleasure that shot through Emma had her catching her breath. They stayed connected for only a moment before letting go, but it was enough to cause a happy hum of pleasure in Emma.

"You know, we never did get to watch that movie last night…" Killian smirked at Emma's comment.

"Is this your way of inviting me over again, love?" She nodded.

"I liked waking up to you this morning, and I have a feeling it would vastly improve my Monday."

"Then maybe we should make a habit of it," Killian proposed with a new found gravel infiltrating his tone.

"I'd like that," Emma confirmed.

Before they could say much more, Emma was called to fulfill her exit interview. As she spoke about the weekend and her title of star baker, she caught Killian's eyes across the tent and truly marveled at how things could change so quickly. In his gaze she saw the promise of a magical evening, and Emma knew that she could trust him to deliver. There was still so much unspoken between the two of them, but they had time because this time Emma wasn't running. Instead she was walking towards what she thought just might be a happily ever after come to life.

 _ **Post-Note: I wanted a scene this week of Killian's 'sacrifice' because it mirrors how he's always sacrificing himself for Emma without the ridiculous levels of pain I get on the show. Here we get protective, fall on your own sword Killian without the hysteria. I hope that you guys enjoyed, and I appreciate all the lovely feedback and the continued support. You guys are awesome, and I just hope you continue to like the story!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Week Four means dessert week for the characters of 'Just a Taste', but it also means something fun and light for us readers – a Halloween special that pits all our characters in costumes and by extension, into momentary alter egos. Expect lots of CS fluff and interactions with Emma and her friends that are cute and fun.**_

To say that the production team had gone over the top for this week's segment was an understatement, and Emma could do nothing but marvel at the intricacies of the decorations within the big white tent this beautiful Saturday.

All of the foliage and beauty adorning the world outside was brought to life in the contest space as well and then supplemented with tons of festive paraphernalia. Though it was still technically a week before Halloween, the network had decided to highlight the thematic elements and everything was reflecting the holiday right down to the contestants themselves. That's right - today Emma and the others weren't just baking… they were baking in costume.

"To have been a fly on the wall during the meeting where they assigned us all these outfits." Belle's words reached Emma's ears as they were all filing into their opening spots for the first shot of the day. Emma had to agree, that the thought process on most of these costumes was bizarre, but she at least had gotten lucky with her getup, some of the other's hadn't been as lucky.

"I don't remember any Disney Princesses having a red dress," Belle added as she looked Emma over and Emma informed her that she was Princess Buttercup from _The Princess Bride_. Both Belle's and Mary Margaret's faces showed understanding then and they glanced over Emma's shoulder to Killian.

"That would make our friend Killian a Dread Pirate named Westley."

Emma nodded, and couldn't help the bit of a blush that washed across her face. This was another way for production to make it about the two of them being an item, but Emma and Killian could manage. Besides, this was one of Emma's favorite movies, and Killian looked really good as a pirate. He'd also decided to hijack the costume a little bit in an attempt to remove some of the blatant couple-ness. He'd somehow managed to swipe a hook, presumably from a Peter Pan themed costume in the back, and was wearing a black leather jacket that added a kind of modern edge. All in all, it was working spectacularly well, and every time Emma cast a glance his way, she was thrust into some very dirty fantasies, cameras and lights be damned.

"What is it about me in particular that screams 'vampire seductress?'" Mary Margaret asked, genuinely curious and expressing a bit of discomfort at her day's outfit. She looked great, very cool and otherworldly, but it was a strange choice, Emma had to agree.

"Probably the same thing that tells people I would ever want to be a Victorian Era zombie slayer." Emma muffled her laughter as she looked once more at Belle's outfit. It's not that her friend looked bad per se, she just looked so frilly and yet was expected to wield some sort of revolver thing to kill the undead. "I mean how are we supposed to move around in these. At least it's a baking show and not like a physical race. But still, these sleeves are a fire hazard."

"How do you think Regina will like Robin's get up?" Emma asked and the three friends lacked any sort of discretion as they turned to the man in question and acknowledged the biker costume he was currently rocking. It was the complete opposite of his usual single dad, good guy clothes, and honestly, Emma highly suspected their famous female judge would approve.

"Alright everyone, the judges are making their entrances. We of course want honest reactions but…" Tink pushed her glasses further up her nose and fidgeted slightly on her feet.

"But don't poke too much fun or the Golden Goose's ego will get tarnished. We know, Tink, no worries. My new Victorian Era alter ego is very aware of how to repress, repress, repress."

Emma bit back another giggle at Belle's seemingly never ending sass when under this white tent and Tink smiled, looking a little relieved that it was Belle specifically who said that. With the assurance, the small woman was able to set things in motion for Liam and the judges were brought in donning some really entertaining outfits as well that were no doubt contractually obligated. Granny was currently Sherlock Holmes, Gold was dressed in his usual clothes, but had zombie makeup on (much to Belle's satisfaction, who whispered something about her first twenty first century zombie kill) and Regina was a fifties girl, with a baby pink sweater, a poodle skirt, and pigtails.

"Oh my God, do you think they did that on purpose?" Mary Margaret whispered about Robin and Regina's costumes, but Emma shook her head. She doubted that Liam would dare to alienate a judge who was contracted to the show long term for the possible intrigue. It could be really bad for the show if people thought there was something going on between a judge and a contestant during the competition. Besides, why bother more people than his little brother and the woman who loved him?

 _There's that word again,_ Emma thought as she shot a quick look to Killian who merely nodded and gave her a grin. God, that cocky look with the outfit was really going to be trouble for Emma. All of their work to keep their attraction away from the cameras (which wasn't really working great, since most of the audience was still 'shipping' them, whatever that meant) was possibly going to be undone by this outfit alone. If Emma could keep her hands off of that leather, she would deserve a serious reward.

"Bakers, welcome to week Four of our Bake Off which as you know is Dessert week. As you've no doubt gathered we're changing things up. Some shows are going green, but we've gone _scream_." The terrible pun from Graham got a load of groans from contestants and judges alike that was probably exactly what the writer's had wanted. Still, it was Ruby's reaction, scripted or otherwise, that took the cake. She patted him gently on the arm, a little condescending, something that was only amplified since she was rocking a killer Wonder Woman costume.

"Alright honey, no need to hurt yourself. You, me, and the American public can all agree, I say the punch lines and you keep looking pretty…" And boy did he ever. Graham looked less like the lumberjack that he was attempting to be and more like a 3-D version of some hot male model from those calendars that killed with housewives. "Now let's get to it. Today's starter challenge is to make a molten dessert, however you may like. All that you need to have is a baked outer crust and something ooey and gooey in the center. The rest we leave to you."

"Bakers, if you will please man your stations," Graham instructed.

They all made their way swiftly to their spots, and when they did, Ruby and Graham gave the official count down setting them all off on their way to creating their first Halloween treat of the day. For Emma, this first round was an old faithful, one that always served her well in the past – triple chocolate molten brownies. She was only making one notable change to the recipe, and that was to temper her own white chocolate so she could color it orange. That counted as Halloween themed right? It would have to.

The morning's bake went by pretty well with no noticed sabotages from a more subdued Catherine (who was dressed as what Emma was guessing was a drunk starlet or a spring breaker who had seen better days). Still, when the group stood in front of the judges, tensions were high. Melted centers were not an easy thing to come by, and a baker ran all sorts of risks when they tried to make one. The sauce could melt into the cake or cookie base itself if cooked too long or at too high a temperature (as it had with Lance's blackberry filled vanilla cake), but could also stay too thick to be considered melted (like with David's caramel confection). Today, both outcomes were unacceptable.

"I thought the hosts made it pretty clear that we were looking for a melted substance, Mr. Nolan, not a pudding. Do you know the difference?" Gold spat out.

David bristled only slightly at the words before grinning at Gold and giving a joking reply that if a lawyer knew how to do anything it was spin. Maybe he hadn't achieved the objectives of the challenge, but he'd challenge anyone to go against him on taste. When Granny and Regina sided with him on that, Emma could have sworn Gold went red, even if it wasn't visible from underneath the crazy costume makeup he was wearing.

The judges moved on, taking note of all the remaining bakes, and while Emma's was definitely a hit, it was Belle's mini monster skillet cookies that stole the show. Filled with peanut butter sauce, and composed of a dough base that incorporated oats, chocolate chunks, m&ms and about another dozen treats, they were delicious, and definitely on Halloween theme. Emma had managed to steal one of the left over cookies and was mid mind-blowing bite when Killian came up beside her.

"Seems I've missed out on the morning's favorite."

The gravel in his voice only further fueled the charge between them and shot straight to Emma's heart. The lilt in his voice had her whole body reverberating with warmth. She did something that he didn't expect though and smiled, offering to share her mini skillet with him. Handing him an extra spoon, she invited him to try a bit, and though she was glad he liked it, she was a little jealous at the sound that came past his lips when he tasted the treat. She kind of only wanted him to make that noise for her baking, or her in general.

"That good, huh?" Killian licked his lips playfully but then pulled closer, so close that his whispered words left a warm air tickling Emma's ear and setting another flutter coursing through her.

"Everything tastes this good to a starving man, and I have neither had the spoils of your baking, or my hands on you this morning. I am by all definition's, starving."

Emma thought back to last night, and regretted the second part of his statement. She had missed him, but they'd decided to cool it, if just for one night since the town's influx of tourists were watching eagerly to see if they were or were not a couple. The whole town knew of course, but thanks to their loyalty, it hadn't leaked to the larger public, at least not yet. Honestly, though, Emma didn't give a damn if they did find out, it wasn't worth spending her nights away from Killian.

"I think the drought should end, don't you?" Emma grinned wickedly and the hope in Killian's eyes was so apparent it almost made Emma feel bad for reaching past and offering him one of her brownies. The way his face fell had Emma wanting to reach out and kiss him, but instead she played with the hook on his hand. That was innocent enough right? Then, sure that there were no cameras trained on her face she whispered: "Tonight, my house."

With that, Killian made another sound of vigorous approval of Emma's brownies and was off, back to his own station, leaving Emma alone once more for only a moment until the hosts were speaking to them once more and instructing them on what today's test would be.

Their task this week was a tiramisu cake from Regina that required not only precision in the face of all of the redacted instruction, but also working with chocolate to design suitable Halloween inspired adornments. When the bell rang for them to get started, Emma immediately moved through the parts of the recipe she knew. She'd made this treat before a few times, and while she wasn't an expert, some things she definitely remembered, like how the slices of cake needed to be extremely thin, and how they all needed to be soaked in the coffee/espresso mix.

"You know, Emma, if they decide to hand out extra points at the end of all this for the person who gets the least mess on their costume, you just might win." Ruby's compliment as she made her way to Emma's station with Graham and a cameraman made Emma smile a bit and then look down at her red dress. It was in fact, still pristine, and without the assistance of an apron or anything. Quickly, Emma took a look around to the others, and realized that the same couldn't be said for many of the others. Lance and Belle in particular both seemed to be struggling with that objective.

"I hardly think they'd take that into account, but here's hoping right?"

"Speaking of costumes, you are the iconic Princess Buttercup from _the Princess Bride_. Are you a fan of the story?" Emma bit her lip at Graham's comment but nodded and responded that she was. "For those of our viewers who might not know, the story centers on a princess and a stable-boy turned pirate who fall in love."

"Well there's a lot more to the story than that, but yeah that's a big part of it."

"Funny that one of our other characters then is dressed like the pirate from that story." Emma felt a blush creep to her cheeks but then looked past the judges to Killian and tried to put forth a jesting vibe.

"Really, I think that's a pretty loose interpretation of Westley." Ruby, who had tensed up a bit at Graham's question chimed in.

"Yeah, I mean really what we're looking at is a hot Captain Hook. If there were no perms and waxed mustaches, and a new found affinity for leather of course." Emma grinned at that and looked back to Graham.

"Can't really argue with that assessment, and since there is no hot Captain Hook in _The Princess Bride_ …" Emma trailed off.

"You both realize that all I'd have to do is steal that hook from Killian, and your argument would be out the window," Graham professed and Emma and Ruby looked at each other and both shrugged.

"You could try that, but if I know anything about our town's newest citizen, it's that he's not likely to let a pretty boy lumberjack like yourself steal anything of his."

Before either of them could understand fully what was happening though, Graham made a sprint to Killian's table as if to get the item in question, but with grace and poise, Killian picked up the hook from it's spot on his table and quickly put it back on.

"Ah, Graham, you should know better than to mess with a man's hook." Graham was a little out of breath but he smirked back.

"To be fair, you're an architect, so I wasn't anticipating you'd have such a sense of pirate duty."

"And that, my friend, is why you've come up short."

Emma could hear the interaction between the two of them and was standing with Ruby, holding back laughter but this was the last straw. Both women were now giggling, and even though Emma should really be working on her bake, she couldn't seem to care. That lack of desire to retreat only increased when Killian turned to Emma and winked.

"Something new to add to the ' _things I didn't know about myself'_ list…" Ruby began, "I am weirdly into Captain Hook."

Emma shook her head and laughed once more before forcibly removing Ruby from her station so she could get back to her bake. As it was, the distraction didn't take too much time away form Emma's ability to present something to the judges, but still, there was no denying that the scene that had just unraveled would be heavily featured on the next episode. Emma intended for that to be the only bit of 'will they / won't they' footage this weekend, so she threw herself back into the competition head first, only coming back up for air when the timer buzzed once more.

"Alright everyone, time is up, time is up! Bring your bakes forward and await your fate. Muahahaha." Ruby's evil laugh was something Emma had heard once or twice before, but clearly very few of the others ever had, including Graham, who for a moment was nearly paralyzed with a mixture of shock and fear.

"Remind me not to cross Ruby, because I would happily live the rest of my days never hearing that again." Killian's comment pulled a smug grin from Ruby who then flipped her hair.

"My favorite's her wolf howl," Mary Margaret said with a smile on her face. "It sends chills down your spine it's so real."

"Perhaps another time, I think Graham's scared enough as it is." David's comment had all the contestants and Ruby alike looking to their other host, who was indeed a little paler than he had been a moment before.

"Right – well… we're kind of on a schedule here people, so let's get going." Graham's not so graceful segue was still humorous, but everyone had mercy and kept from laughing and soon enough the desire to do so was gone as one by one the judges filed in. On the plates before them there was a real assortment of styles for a tiramisu, some were far and away better than others (like Tiana's that not only had perfectly even layers, but amazing skeleton chocolate work) while others lacked any sort of cohesion.

"This one looks like it was hit by a truck and then someone attempted to put it back together."

Gold's harsh censure was over the top because it didn't look that bad, but tiramisu was actually drooping all through the middle, and there was some excess liquid leaking out on the side. Lance though seemed pretty indifferent to the scrutiny. Maybe it was his background as a sheriff's deputy, but Emma gathered it was more his personality.

Lance Knight was a force to be reckoned with, sure of himself in a kind and quiet way and Emma had heard him openly dislike very few people. Gold though, was one of those few, and when Emma ran into Lance during the past week, he'd called the man big headed and cold hearted. To Lance, owning a successful baking restaurant empire meant nothing if Gold was a bad guy. Though Emma couldn't say for certain, she would bet that Lance was thinking along similar lines right now and that was why he didn't care about the criticism.

"I think this cake suffers from a lack of uniformity, though I would say the tastes are there. People underestimate the difficulty of layering a cake like this. It's not for the faint of heart." Regina's words though not complimentary were also understanding and far warmer than gold's while Granny simply shook her head looking at the sight before her.

"Maybe they do things differently outside of Storybrooke, but around here, if someone brought that to a party, we'd all still eat it. Don't matter the look of a thing. It smells good, tastes good, and someone worked hard to make it for us. That's enough for me."

On and on they went down the line, until finally ranking the bakes. Unsurprisingly Tiana came in first with Emma and Mary Margaret close behind, while the bottom of the bunch included Lance, David and Catherine. Once the judging had commenced, the cameras were shut off, the production for the day broken down some and all of the contestants were allowed to finally take off their costumes.

Emma had never been so glad to take of an outfit in her life as she was with this dress, but there was something niggling at the back of her mind. She would have really, truly enjoyed getting to take the hot pirate costume off of Killian. She couldn't put her finger on why, all she knew was that Killian in all black with a little more edge and a dab more danger was really working for her. Needless to say then, that when she left the confines of the big white tent for the day and found Killian wearing black jeans, a black tee and that same leather jacket, with his hair ruffled from the slight breeze and that glimmer of desire in his eyes, Emma was very excited.

"You cut quite the figure in that dress today, Swan." Killian said as he took her hand in his and Emma leaned into it, coming to stand closer with him.

"You didn't look so bad yourself." He chuckled at that and brought his other hand to her hip, pulling her closer so she was flush against him.

"Come now love. There are no secrets between us. You and I both know you rather liked the look of me as a pirate." Emma gulped, her throat suddenly dry and her body practically pulsating with need.

"I more than liked it actually. I've had ideas of your potential pirate tendencies since week one, if you remember." Her words hung between them as she brought her own hand up to trace the place where his open jacket met the thin cotton beneath and she watched his muscles tense under the perusal of her fingertips.

"Emma, love, I highly recommend that you let me take you home, for try as I might, I hardly think I can resist you much longer." Emma pressed her lips to his ever so softly and just as he was about to deepen the kiss she pulled back, smiling.

"Then lead the way, _Captain_."

The low growl that came from Killian as he made their way back to his car filled Emma with a rush of emotions that made her almost dizzy. In this moment she felt both incredibly turned on and undeniably happy, something that always seemed to come hand in hand when she was with Killian. It was this divine swirl of emotions that had that small internal voice whispering about love once more, and though she didn't say the words, she truly did feel that she loved Killian, most ardently.

…

The next night, after another full day of filming, Emma and Killian were together once more, this time with some of their friends, trying to decompress after a long day. Their Sunday had been anything but relaxing, and among those in attendance at tonight's impromptu gathering was Lance, the person who the judges had decided to send home. Where others in the past had been saddened or disappointed though, Lance was only relieved. Though he couldn't tell anyone his fate until after the episode aired, he seemed eager to let everyone know.

"The guys at work have been teasing me mercilessly, and in all honesty, I wasn't cut out for a world where everyone knows my business. Besides, now I'll never have to see Gold aside from the finals, and God willing he won't come anywhere near those of us who were disqualified." They all raised a glass to that, for it would definitely be a positive of leaving this race early.

"I really did think Robin was going to punch him in the face earlier though." Mary Margaret's comment was agreed to across the room, for in the final moments of judging, Gold had made a tasteless remark about Regina when she complimented Robin's donut display, and Robin had all but spit out a cutting remark about good manners and how to speak to a lady.

"Can you imagine a fight breaking out under that tent today though? They made the challenge ' _Dawn of the Doughnuts'_ and if Robin had thrown that punch, you know all hell would have broken loose." Emma looked at Belle and smiled.

"And by 'all hell,' you mean you would have been chucking doughnuts, loving the excuse for a food fight." Belle considered for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean."

The others laughed, and Emma appreciated the way that their long, grueling day was ebbing away through the laughter and banter of her friends. Equally helpful though was that she was currently wrapped up with Killian on the couch, his arm around her waist, and her head tucked into his chest. She felt warm and happy and safe and that was definitely something to be thankful for.

"I'm just glad that the whole costume element is behind us," David said and Emma could understand that.

While yesterday's football player ensemble had been easy enough, David had been selected for the part of Prince Charming on today's set. While he'd looked dapper, and Emma had noticed the appreciative glances of Mary Margaret to him more than once, it also looked pretty stiff, and as soon as the cameras were away (and even a little before) David had been adamant that the outfit was itchy. He now had the red scratches along his arms and legs to prove it too.

"No worries, knowing my brother there are bound to be more forms of torture in store."

Emma felt Killian tense even as he made the joke to the others. While their friends laughed, Emma could tell Killian was a bit sensitive about his brother's actions during the filming. Killian originally believed that Liam would be sticking to the no-drama, limited personal expose feel of the original franchise. With each passing week, that hope was tarnished more and more and when the episodes themselves aired, it was clear that the focus was on getting people invested in contestants instead of in the show and the food. Still, while that was frustrating, it was workable, and in a few more weeks, this would all be behind them. For now though, Emma ran her thumb across Killian's knuckles as a gesture of support and he bent down to kiss her on the crown of her head.

"I still can't believe he stole six of Emma's left over donuts! I wanted one, they were fantastic." As she said the words, Ruby looked as if Liam had made the gravest of offenses by grabbing the remaining half dozen of Emma's _'Charlie Brown Sugar and Great Pumpkin'_ doughnuts. Maybe if Ruby had been denied a doughnut, Emma would understand, but Ruby had eaten three of the treats herself.

"They were so good! I couldn't believe you didn't win star baker."

Lance's words were touching, for as someone who didn't often eat the baked goods Emma made, he was almost an untested pallet. In the end though, Emma had been thwarted for the top spot by Tiana and that was more than okay with her. Tiana had grand ideas of opening her own café some day, and winning this could make all the difference for her. For Emma, it would just be a display dish in her home. There would be no quitting the day job she loved to bake full time.

"Emma will rally, make no mistake of that." Emma shoved playfully at Killian's arm for his comment but still smiled. When their eyes caught once more, the teasing fizzled out and was replaced by a spark of attraction that set in her chest and wouldn't let go.

"That's probably true. But not tonight, I'm beat." It was easily the most transparent excuse to get out of there so she could be alone with Killian, but Emma stuck to her guns, and rose from her seat. Not a second passed and Killian was rising with her.

"Allow me to escort you home, love." The silky smooth tone of his words made Emma shiver even as she heard Ruby's muttered joke.

"I think it went without saying that he was taking her home."

Belle nearly spit out her drink and Emma barely bit back her own laughter. In the past something like that might have embarrassed her, but with Killian it really didn't, for even if she didn't want all of America knowing about their relationship, she definitely wanted to tell their own little world of people. Quickly Emma bent down to her friend and whispered back.

"You're just jealous you don't have your own pirate… but I bet if you called a certain lumberjack, he wouldn't mind taking you home either."

Ruby turned the same shade as her namesake and Emma knew she had stumbled upon a budding attraction. What Ruby would or wouldn't do about it, was up to her friend. For Emma, the path was clear – always follow your heart, and by extension, always follow the love. So she did just that, and it led her, unsurprisingly into Killian's waiting arms.

 _ **Post-Note: So, I toyed with the idea of having the story earn its M rating this week and then opted to save it for a later date. I have an emotional trajectory for the story (trust me, it stays fluffy) and earning the M makes sense about two chapters from now. Until then, hope you guys are satisfied with the plethora of desserts and the banter back and forth of our characters this week. I also want to thank you guys so much for your continued support and enthusiasm for the story. It means a lot that so many people are responding to the fic, and I hope you all continue to enjoy! Until next time!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: This week brings the fifth installment of 'Just a Taste' and as such it brings us a week dedicated to pies and tarts. It also brings an American change up to the show, wherein the producers assign teams for one of the days' shooting. Expect some drama, friend moments, and of course CS fluff. I hope you're all surviving through what is going to be a very long hiatus. Just know, I intend to fill it with this story and others, and I hope you guys enjoy. Thanks for reading!**_

"Do you think I could give production a receipt for all the coffee I've had to consume the past few weekends? Because really, to get out of bed at this hour I'm just downing the stuff." Killian laughed at Emma's words, knowing full well that she would never actually try and do such a thing, but he agreed that she made a good point.

"It's almost like they insist on us looking haggard and delirious this week. 7 AM call time, it's simply beyond understanding." That was exactly what she thought. Seriously, getting there every Saturday and Sunday at eight was rough enough, but the full hour earlier… well that was downright torturous. Still, when Killian took her hand in his as they walked from the café towards the filming a few blocks away, Emma felt those ugly thoughts of early mornings subside.

"We might have to reassess our more… _inconsistent_ sleeping patterns during the rest of the competition." The low grumble from Killian brought a smile to Emma's eyes. She was only teasing, for she loved spending her nights wrapped up in Killian and choosing satisfaction over slumber. Still, watching his blue eyes darken and his manner grow a little more demanding always set a flutter off inside her.

"I would sooner give them my right hand than reconsider those, love." Emma shook her head, leaning into his arm as they walked on. They only had a few more minutes before returning to the craziness of the tent, but they were beautiful. Emma and Killian didn't need to speak or fill the silence between them. This was a relationship comfortable and secure enough to just be, for even without those sweet words Killian always seemed to throw her way, Emma still felt nothing but cherished here walking with him.

"For two people so dead set on privacy, you're certainly risking it all today." Emma looked up to find Belle, strolling down the lane the other way about to turn towards the tent with them. "Not that you shouldn't be. I am all for you guys being America's hometown sweet hearts."

"I still find it suspect that part of a home town sweetheart duo could include a Brit, love." Belle considered that and then shrugged.

"Tell that to your brother. Last weeks episode somehow became the Emma and Killian show, and I just bumped into a flock of tourists at Granny's in Buttercup and Sexy Captain Hook outfits." Emma's jaw dropped at that.

"You didn't." The wicked gleam in Belle's eyes caused Emma to shove at her shoulder. "God that would have been terrible."

"Not as terrible as what they actually have planned for today. I ran into Tink last night and she told me that we're doing team challenges today." Emma and Killian looked quizzically at Belle as they made it to the tent.

"I can't tell if I believe you or not. I really hope you're lying again."

"She's not." The defeated voice that rang through the air belonged to Mary Margaret, and honestly she looked like she might cry. Emma moved towards her friend with Belle right there with her, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. "They paired us off, and they put me with Catherine."

"Oh you have to be fucking kidding me. Go inside, loves, I'll figure this out." With that Killian was off, storming through the tent until the three friends watched him grab his brother by the shirt and haul him off to the far end of the white big top. While his rage was evident, Killian managed to stay calm enough that his voice didn't echo through the space. He was clearly giving Liam a piece of his mind though.

"Do you think Killian can get him to change his mind?" Mary Margaret asked, clearly invested in whether or not he could.

"I have to believe that he can. Killian loves his brother, so underneath all that ambition there must be a good person." The words were just as much for Emma's own benefit as they were for Mary Margaret's. This was an issue Emma had been struggling with for a while at this point, since she couldn't really understand how a man with a brother like Killian would choose to complicate their life this way. Suddenly, Killian's voice raised so it was loud enough for everyone to hear as he put a finger into Liam's chest.

"Either you fix this, or I walk. I don't give a damn about a bloody contract, and I can bet that my remaining on this series matters more than a one episode gimmick to create drama!" Without even allowing his brother to respond, Killian stormed off and headed towards Emma. Once there his features softened, even if the anger still clung to his shoulders and caused tension in his person. Emma wanted to reach out and make it better somehow, and even though they had an unspoken rule about touching under the tent, she still did. Taking his hand in hers and squeezing. At the contact, he looked a little surprised but then he gave a small smile before turning to Mary Margaret.

"You're all set now, love. And rest assured if my brother starts to pull such foolishness again, he'll get far more than a scolding from me." Killian excused himself, citing a need for air, and moved passed them. Just at that moment, David strolled into the tent, picking up on the weird vibes being thrown around, and immediately made his way to Mary Margaret. Now knowing that she wouldn't be on a team with Catherine, Mary Margaret was doing better, far better than Killian at least.

"David, can you make sure he's actually okay? Fighting with family is never easy." Understanding flashed through David's eyes and he nodded, heading off to make sure Killian would be alight, but Emma knew he would be. Killian had faced a number of hardships and let downs in his life, but he was a survivor, someone who kept on pushing.

"Whatever you do, Emma, don't let him get away." Belle's words struck Emma right in the chest and held tightly. Just the idea that she would ever be without Killian, that things would somehow turn south, leading to them not making it made her heart ache.

"I'm in love with him." This was the first time she had admitted it out loud, but it felt good to say it. She wasn't ashamed to care for him, wasn't embarrassed or worried that it made her weak. It was just the simple truth – she loved him, and God how she hoped he loved her too.

"Well of course you do." Emma's eyes flashed to Ruby's who had just joined them and her friend looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And somehow, I think he loves you even more. It really is adorable, and disgusting or not, it does make great TV, which is probably why Liam can't let it go."

"I haven't told him yet. Killian I mean. Every time I think I'm ready, it just doesn't feel like the right time. I don't know, I get too in my own head or something." Mary Margaret patted Emma on the arm affectionately.

"You'll know when you're ready, and when it happens, it's going to be great. But you deserve to take your time, Emma. You've been through a lot. Just know that with Killian, your heart is safe." Emma nodded, for she knew that. Before Emma could say more about it though, Tink was addressing the group at large.

"Alright everyone. As you all know by now, the shooting for today is going to have a pretty significant twist. You're all going to be working as teams today, now partnered off _randomly_ ," Tink stressed this to Mary Margaret with a silent apology in her eyes. "You'll be working together on today's two bakes, and return to individual baking tomorrow for the final show stopper."

Tink read off the teams then to everyone, and Emma was happy to find that Killian's words truly had been enough to save them all the drama. Mary Margaret was now working with Tiana, Catherine with Killian, David with Belle, and Emma with Robin. Once the teams were selected, things moved very quickly, and Emma frowned a bit at the change in their stations. She had gotten used to her set up over the past four weeks, but now each individual kitchen was larger, as if two people couldn't have worked in the original space.

"I think it goes without saying that I have gotten very lucky to have you as my partner, and you have been disappointed." Robin's comment pulled Emma from her own internal thoughts and she shook her head, hoping he didn't really believe that.

"Not at all! I was more just sad that we're doing another gimmick. I really was hoping this show would be like the British version, and it's just another example of how it isn't."

"All of these competition shows are formulaic and one essential ingredient is drama. Even if it's not necessary, they throw it in, just to ensure that people will watch. It's terrible, but it's also American TV." Emma smirked at that and pulled back to look at Robin as if sizing him up.

"Is there a lot of television analysis required as a contractor? Here I was thinking you were one of the hardest working people in town, but clearly I was wrong." Robin laughed, a jovial sound that was infectious as he shook his head.

"No, no TV on the job, but my son loves competitions. Singing, cooking, it doesn't matter, if they're racing to the finish for some sort of prize, he's fascinated." Emma smiled at that. She knew Robin's son, Roland, as one of the little kids who attended every story time session on Monday afternoons after school. Once a month, Emma volunteered for Belle to lead the hour's reading, and every week Roland was attentive and sweet but funny. Apparently it ran in the family.

"So he must think you're pretty awesome for being on this show then." Robin grinned.

"It's definitely won me some cool Dad points, yes." Cool Dad points or not though, Roland's impressions of the challenge didn't change the extra special twist that the hosts threw their way after Ruby and Graham led the judges in.

"In case you thought all the trouble you'd have to face was this American addition of teaming up, I'm sorry to say that you are wrong." Emma looked at Robin skeptically at Graham's words before Ruby filled in.

"Both teammates have brought their intended pie recipe for the day, and now together, we do insist that you use _every_ ingredient on both lists."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Catherine yelled from where she stood behind Killian, but in Killian's eyes, Emma saw a barely restrained laughter. "Captain Crazy over here brought a meat pie recipe, and I'm doing banana cream. That's _actually_ repulsive."

"Good lord, that does sound awful." Robin's words and the tone he used, made it impossible for Emma not to smile and she turned to Killian who was shaking his head, surprisingly okay with the change in trajectory.

"Captain Crazy, what a colorful nickname." That was it, the final straw and soon Emma and all of the others aside from Catherine were laughing. This of course made Catherine more upset, and had Killian dramatically pretending that they were all 'so rude' which only set everyone off more.

"Oh enough, it's not even funny." Gold's harsh words as he moved past the hosts to ring the starting bell.

"Buzz kill." Belle coughed into her hand. Her friend's continued antagonism towards their judge had Emma continuing to smile, but now they had an actual issue to face – how to make Robin's traditional apple pie work with Emma's black berry and white chocolate mouse? It was intensive, trying to decide how to incorporate each ingredient while not creating something with a terrible flavor profile, but through some smart thinking on Robin's part, they managed to make something that looked pretty good.

"You know, I never would have thought to use the blackberry in the crust. What made you think of it?" Robin shrugged at Ruby's question as she and Graham came for their typical check-in.

"Honestly? My son. He's a picky eater at heart. As soon as you say you've gone and put a fruit or vegetable in anything he's suspicious. But if you hide it, or incorporate it into something he's comfortable with, he'll try it. You save yourself a battle if you just sneak past the defenses." Ruby and Graham both seemed to like that answer, giving Emma and Robin space to complete their pie without any more intrusive questions about Emma or Killian.

"Wow, that was like magic. One minute they were here, the next they were gone." Robin chuckled.

"I gather the single Dad in the competition is not as interesting as the potential love interest story." Emma sighed, finishing the cross hatching for the top of the pie with precision as she talked.

"That's probably an oversight on their part. I think Roland is far more entertaining than a will they or wont they trope."

"Well that makes two of us, but I'm also grateful they don't push. Even if I'm doing it for him, I'm not sure I'd want Roland subjected to this. It's a strange thing, putting yourself out there for the country's entertainment." Emma agreed, and as they put the pie in the oven, they talked more about the strangeness of the show's response. Everyone, including Robin, had a newfound fan base and people wanting to interact with them. The show had created Twitter profiles, and a Snap Chat account to keep people interested, and if you monitored them it was staggering just how many people were invested in all of this. It was exciting, humbling, and anxiety inducing all at the same time. Unpacking all of that fun stuff took up their thirty minute bake easily and soon enough the hosts were informing them that time was up.

"And that's the ball game kids. Wrap it up we're going home!" Graham's terrible joke was to be expected, as was the eye roll from Ruby and the shake of her head.

"On a serious note, you guys have all really risen to the challenge today, and if any of these are edible, it'll be a miracle." Everyone laughed at that, and as the judges filed back in, there wasn't that same sense of urgency. Emma wasn't sure if the others would agree, but for her, it actually felt beneficial to be on a team. At least if she didn't do well, it wasn't all on her, and in retrospect, their pie ingredients were far more compatible than many of the others.

"I'm sorry, is this… rhubarb with lemon custard?" Regina's question aimed at Tiana and Mary Margaret was an attempt at nice, but she was clearly concerned.

"It's edible, which is more than we an say for that last one." When Granny turned back to Killian and Catherine, she was greeted by a friendly wave from the former and a glare that knew no bounds from the latter. It was pretty much the same for David and Belle, who managed to make something the judges would try but didn't particularly care for. When they arrived at Emma and Robin's pie, there was a sigh of relief from all three judges. At least appearance wise, this pie didn't look irredeemable.

"The crust is purple," Gold noted, though Emma couldn't tell if it was critique or observation.

"That's what happens when you put blackberry puree in it." Gold arched a brow at Robin's words.

"Sure it's not just you trying to win over Her Majesty?" Gold motioned to Regina and Emma watched Robin's jaw tick but where he was clearly going to bite his tongue, Emma wasn't.

"The only thing we're trying to win is this round." Gold barely glanced at Emma, and that prompted her to say something she'd likely come to regret. She coated it in a _'kill them with kindness' fake_ sincerity, but her meaning was clear. "I can understand you're jealous that we like Regina more than you, but you should know, the green of your envy and all your gold clash." The look he shot her could have withered a weaker person, but Emma merely arched a brow, daring him to say more.

"Well whatever color it is, it's fantastic, easily the best one of the day," Granny said. Regina could only nod, a little thrown that Gold would make more of those attacks against Robin. She bit back whatever words she had for the man, but if looks could kill, Mr. Gold would be dead ten times over.

Sensing that they were about to have more problems than they could feasibly handle, production moved everyone towards the technical challenge. It went far easier than the mash-up of the morning, and soon enough Emma was on the other side with her friends. She and Robin had done extremely well again, acing Regina's apple turnover even if they'd had a bit more competition from the other teams. As the day came to a close, and everyone was preparing to return to his or her real lives for the night, Robin pulled Emma aside to thank her.

"What you did before, with Gold, I appreciate it."

"He's a bully, and the best way to handle a bully is to cut them down to size, with an army at your side. I've got your back." Robin smiled, but Emma noticed his eyes moved to Regina just for a moment, to track what she was doing. "Robin, I hope you don't think I'm being too forward, but if you like her, you should tell her. Not on camera obviously, but she's staying in town, and I'm sure you could find a quiet moment to say what you feel."

"I've nothing to offer a woman like her, Emma. She's beautiful and successful, and a public figure. I'm a single Dad from a small town in Maine building houses for a living." He sounded defeated, as if what he said was all that mattered. Emma wanted to make sure he understood that it wasn't.

"When I look at Regina, I see what you're saying. She is successful, she is a commanding person, but she's also closed off. As someone who also had walls like that, I can tell you it's a lonely way to live. So what you could offer her is that feeling of what it's like to have a home, and to have people who care about you." At that moment Regina looked across the tent and Emma watched her and Robin make eye contact. "Smile and wave," Emma murmured and Robin did, causing Regina to blush a bit but smile and nod her own response.

"Thank you, Emma. I'll think about it." That was really all Emma could hope for. It wasn't her place to push, but she hoped that he did take the risk. Something about finding her own happy ending made her want to help everyone else find theirs too. When Robin walked away Emma felt someone stand beside her and looked up to find a smiling Killian.

"I give them one week. Mark my words." Emma laughed, and once they were outside the confines of the tent, she pulled him into her for a kiss. It helped to wash away the uneasy feelings that had lingered through the day, the ones about his argument with his brother this morning, and about him having to work with Catherine all day. When they pulled back she saw that easy lightness in his eyes once more.

"For the record, you have a weird sense of humor." He arched a brow as his hands came around her waist, keeping her close. "When you realized you had to make a beef and banana cream pie, any normal person would have been grossed out. Even Catherine's reaction I expected, but you just laughed."

"Yes I laughed! It was bloody ridiculous, and meanwhile I had Catherine beside me who somehow managed to morph her face into an even more sour contortion, which I hadn't thought was possible."

"Then she dubbed you Captain Crazy and all bets were off."

"Aye she did love. But enough of this madness, let's go home." The thought that home meant her and Killian together sent a happy flurry of excitement coursing through her, and without further delay, they did set forth into a night away from the lunacy of reality TV

…

"I fully understand your hesitation to tell the world our secret, Swan, but I have to say, making something this bloody fantastic has put all of that risk. All I want to do is sing your praises and steal you away where I can worship you properly." Emma and Killian were waiting at the end of their Sunday filming for their departure interviews, enjoying the last two pieces of the fruit tart she'd made today, aptly called _The Tale of Two Berries Tart._ His words sent a current of desire swimming through her, warming her from the inside out, and she would happily make this strawberry and blueberry confection every day if he'd look at her like this. Luckily for her, he tended to look like this regardless of her baking.

"Is it all baking that turns you on or just mine?" The grin he gave her as he moved closer and lowered his voice had her pulse speeding up.

"Allow me to make myself perfectly clear, Emma. You are an excellent baker, easily the best in this competition, and thusly the town. But it has no bearing over my feelings for you. This is one small part of who you are, and I am a fan of every part of you." Emma sighed, happy at his response, and wishing that she could be the one to show him what it meant that he was so… well perfect actually. Somehow she'd stumbled across a man, not without fault, but without ones that overtook his person. Deep in her bones she knew that he was the only one for her, and soon, very soon, she knew she'd say those three words that had been trying to tumble past her lips the past few weeks. Not here though, and not now. Besides, maybe she still might have the pleasure of hearing him say it first, and knowing Killian, such a moment would be brilliant and wonderful.

"Killian, we're ready for you." Killian nodded to Tink and moved to the segment just beyond them. He was still in sight, and if Emma listened she could hear him, but another distraction came her way.

"He really likes you, you know." David came up behind Emma, awaiting his turn for his exit interview as well and Emma smiled. "He more than likes you actually, and I'm happy for him. You're a good person, Emma there is no denying that."

"But…" Emma could sense there was more David wanted to say.

"I have no doubt that you love him too, Emma, but if that changes, or if maybe you find that you can't give him all of you, just do him a kindness and let him go. Not that it would do much good honestly, I think he's already well into the deep end with you." Emma might have felt a little insulted, if she didn't know David's intentions were honorable.

"I could say the same thing to you. If you mess with Mary Margaret you'll face my wrath." David smiled, hands in the air as if in surrender.

"Yeah, both of these warnings are unnecessary, but now at least we can check that off our list of duties to our friends." Emma smiled, and turned her focus back on Killian who was looking at her and David.

"Killian did you hear me?" Tink asked and Killian returned to look at her.

"Aye, love I did. You asked me if moving to Storybrooke has been difficult, and I can assure you it's been quite the opposite. In this little town in Maine I've found my purpose and my home." Emma felt her throat tighten, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from Killian.

"So you're committed? To this town."

"I am fully, one hundred percent. I'm in this for the long haul, and nothing will ever change the way I feel." Killian looked at Emma again, just for a moment, just long enough for certainty to cling to her. This was affirmation in the realest way, and any of the doubts that lingered because of her past faded away. She trusted him, and trust was a powerful thing. Tink let Killian leave, and though all she had the ability to do was touch his hand lightly before she herself was called, Emma hoped that he could understand what she was trying to say.

"Sorry for the delay, Emma, but I only have a few questions today. The first being, how you found the days results? You are our star baker." Emma smiled, excited that she had the honor again.

"It's always exciting when people like the food you make. Baking should come from the heart. It's something that takes not just precision, but patience and passion. At least for me."

"And Catherine went home today. How did you feel about that?"

"I think this was a bad week to be eliminated, if only because we were in teams. If you guys get picked up for another season, I wouldn't advise doing this again. I doubt there was enough drama to merit the later confusion." Tink's eyes portrayed silently that she agreed, but Emma knew the woman had little control over that.

"Okay, last question. When you see your future, on the show and beyond, what does it look like?" Emma spaced for just a moment for the question was bigger than she'd anticipated, but in that span a lifetime flashed before her eyes, one that was more beautiful than she'd ever pictured. She'd tell Killian she loved him, and he'd say it back. They'd move in together, get engaged, have a big white wedding or perhaps a small one with just their closest friends by the sea. She wanted kids, a big family, like the one she'd always wanted as a child, and through it all, he'd stand beside her. He would be her home, and as he'd said, her would help her with her purpose.

"It's a happy one. Whether I win or not doesn't matter. I have a life I love, with people who matter to me. I have a family I've chosen and a place to call home. So yeah, it's going to be happy. I'm going to be happy." Tink smiled and signaled the cameraman to cut. Once sure there was no more recording Tink spoke freely.

"You're right, you are going to be happy." Tink's words meant a lot, even if they were just speculation.

"How do you know?"

"I just do." Emma grinned as she handed back her microphone.

"Must be magic," Emma teased.

"Must be. Goodnight, Emma." Emma said her good byes and once more walked out into the fading light of a Sunday evening. There, waiting, was Killian just as Emma knew he always would be.

 _ **Post-Note: There we have it, and no worries, to all of you wondering, the 'I love you' moments are coming next week. I am really glad that since the day I first came up with this story outline, I always intended for Emma and Robin to be teamed up on competition day. It allowed me a nice cathartic moment. One we never got on the show where Emma and Robin got be friendly, got to understand each other a bit better. That being said, the heart of this story will always be my CS babies, and there is only more cuteness and eventual smut to come. Hope you guys enjoyed and have a fantastic week.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Week six, week six…what could be happening on week six? How about those long awaited 'I love you' confessions, and the earning of the M rating so many have you been asking about. Yeah, it's a big week here on 'Just a Taste' so strap in and ready yourself for some enjoyable smuffy CS cuteness and more incorporation of a seriously fantastic show, GBBO! Hope you guys enjoy, and thank you so much for reading!**_

"You know, Ruby, I have to admit, I really didn't give much thought to today's challenge, but if the past sixty minutes has taught me anything, it's that creating a tower of cream puffs is a lot harder than it looks."

Graham's words said for the benefit of the cameras were an understatement, and for Emma, it was more than nerve wracking. Even if she worked all week to prep for this, she was by no means an expert on space parameters and caramel glaze as a constructing agent. At least she knew her cream puffs themselves would taste good. Returning to her favorite duo of coffee and chocolate had not been a bad idea, and if she wasn't so worried about getting these all to set in place, she'd likely be eating the extras she made all by herself.

"Graham, you're talking to a woman who once tried to make store bought crescent rolls only to burn them so badly that the fire department came. Each and every challenge seems an impossible feat to me." Despite her nerves, Emma couldn't help but smile at that. Ruby truly was a disaster in the kitchen - that she could testify too.

"But you have to admit this is pretty spectacular. And with the stakes this high, it means everyone has farther to fall," Graham replied but Belle's voice sounded from her spot under the tent to retort to that.

"Just a friendly reminder to you and the American people that we are battling for a plate. This is not a live or die situation over cream puffs." Everyone laughed at that, and the dose of perspective made for a new sense of calm.

"Emma, your Croquembouche seems to be coming along nicely. No visible leaning one way or another. What has been your strategy with this?" Ruby asked as she, Graham, and the filming crew made their way to her post.

"Don't mess up," Emma replied bluntly, much to the humor of the hosts.

"Is that a running theme with you on this show then, Emma?" Emma considered the question for a moment, before nodding.

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean honestly, I've tried the recipe out a few times and I have done a little research, but there's no expert mastery to any of this. I know how to make all the ingredients, but this is another monster entirely. The challenge isn't in the bake for once, but in the composition. Without the right textures and consistencies, you can't win, and that's a hard thing to grapple with."

"Out of everyone under the tent today, who do you think might have the best luck with this?" Graham asked.

"I would say Robin, because of his background in construction. He's a really smart guy, but he also makes a living dealing with the sort of physics and math side of these things. But then by that argument, Killian too has a pretty good shot as an architect, and Mary Margaret as a teacher. All of them are definitely in a better headspace for this then a book editor ever could be that's for sure." Ruby and Graham laughed again, but then allowed Emma to return to work so that she could finish on time.

As the minutes passed, Emma worked to layer the hardening caramel where it needed to be in order to support the weight of the entire display. As the clock wound down, she finished her Croquembouche, but just barely. In the end, she would never claim that the tower was perfect, but it was finished, and not leaning terribly far over as some of the others were.

"Alright bakers, it's that time of the day again when we bring forth our sovereign judges to praise or ridicule as they see fit. Whatever happens from this point on, know you should all be proud, because seriously, you all just made a mountain out of glorified donut holes."

Emma shook her head at Ruby's statement. Creampuffs and donut holes were absolutely not the same thing, but if her friend or the writers wanted to compare them, that was their business. At least Emma got a good laugh out of it before the judges descended, for that mood definitely shifted when the judges entered.

One by one they walked through the offerings of Croquembouche, offering a range of deliveries on whether or not the bakes were successful. As was to be expected, Mr. Gold was blunt and cutting with nearly everyone, even Killian who had managed a perfectly even build while also supplying good cream puffs. Regina meanwhile, gave constructive criticism and compliments when earned, while Granny mostly marveled at the pomp and circumstance of it all.

"Okay, I understand, this is definitely a delicacy, and thus ties in with the theme of the week, but my goodness – when would one ever bring this somewhere? You couldn't show up to an event carrying a tower of cream puffs, at least not around here. I mean can you imagine bringing this to a baby shower or a barbeque? It's ridiculous."

Mary Margaret muffled a laugh as Granny made the comment, likely agreeing with the words, but she held back any retort of her own, and so the judges made their way to the front to deliberate, leaving the hosts to explain their technical challenge, which was a Granny recipe for lobster tails.

"It's very fitting that we should have a technical challenge today that includes lobster in some variety, given how well Maine is known for lobster overall. My wonder is how you make lobster itself sweet enough for a dessert?" Graham's question, said loud enough for everyone to hear, caused a hush to fall over the entirety of the kitchen. Where seconds before, all of the bakers had been trying to find their ingredients and get things together, they were now struck a little speechless. Who was going to break it to him?

"Actually Graham, lobster tails get their name because of the shape of the pastry and how the cream inside is often heralded as the best part, like with an actual lobster tail. There is no actual meat of any kind inside," Ruby said and Graham raised his hands above his head in a huff.

"Awesome, and no one thought to tell me that before I made it abundantly apparent to the viewing audience that I have no idea what I'm talking about?" The dramatics, Emma could tell, were faked for the purposes of the show. Graham wasn't actually upset, but Ruby still made to comfort him.

"There there big guy. No one thinks any less of you. And I'm sure, if you asked real nice, someone could be convinced to grab you a lobster roll – an _appropriate_ way in which to get one's lobster."

Graham's groan then became the background noise for Emma as she set out to make the lobster tail in question. As she mixed her ingredients and tried to decipher the recipe, though, Emma couldn't help but think of her favorite lobster tails, found at a famous bakery in Boston that she managed to migrate to a couple of times a year to satisfy her cravings for cannoli and the like. When all of this was over, Emma planned to bring Killian on one of those trips, and maybe a few more. The whole world was filled with possibility, just as soon as the cameras stopped rolling in this small little town.

"Now tell me how a Brit born and raised knows more about lobster tails than I do." Graham's posed question to Killian brought Emma back from her thoughts, and though she didn't look up, she strained to listen to his answer.

"I have some excellent tour guides to enlighten me on all sorts of magic native to these parts."

Emma bit back a laugh at that, somehow sensing the message that was meant for her in those words. This past week on an afternoon that they'd both taken off of work, Emma and Killian decided to go hiking and to enjoy the last of the good fall weather before the season shifted. Hearing about said plan, David and Mary Margaret eagerly tagged along, and so just after school the four of them had headed inland towards the rolling hills and higher peaks. In the span of two hours both Killian and Emma were subjected not only to a history lesson from Mary Margaret, but a scientific one from David. Between the interactions of the first settlers in Maine with Native Americans and the dozens of species that David rattled off, it was an overwhelming amount of information. That Killian had pretended to absorb it all was hysterical, but as soon as they'd taken leave of their friends, Killian confirmed her suspicions.

" _I couldn't tell you a single thing that either of them just told us, love. I promise you I couldn't. How anyone could spend an entire hike talking as much as they did I do not know. They really must be perfect for each other."_ Emma readily agreed to that claim, and acknowledged that she too preferred enjoying the great outdoors with a bit more quiet, and a lot less statistical factoids.

"Does one of them happen to have blonde hair and green eyes?" Graham asked, teasing Killian but Killian played it with no problem.

"Dave, mate, what color eyes do you have? Huntsman is very interested in the particulars of your features." Dave mumbled under his breath about being more than a pretty face and just like that, a clear attempt to bring up Killian and Emma again was thwarted. All in a day's work.

Without further upset the afternoon went on with another judging that Emma and Killian did well in. Soon enough, they were free of the day's responsibilities, and grabbed their jackets to head out when Emma noticed something taking place in the corner of the tent behind a curtain. A breeze moved the curtain up to reveal that it was Regina and Robin kissing, and in a not so great twist for them, the last camera crew left for the day was almost upon them. Emma had to figure out a way to spare them that awkwardness.

"Sorry about this," she said as she pulled Killian in for a kiss right there in the open.

The loud clamoring behind them did the trick, for by the time Emma pulled back, Robin and Regina were broken apart. Now though, Emma and Killian were swarmed with a bunch of questions. She ignored them, informing the crew led by Liam that they had gotten more than enough to satisfy their weird sort of voyeurism before pulling Killian along with her to where everyone parked. There, leaning against his truck was a guilty looking Robin.

"Emma, I don't know what to say other than thank you. I know you two have been trying to keep this under wraps for the cameras, but you spared us a lot of trouble." Killian raised a brow and Emma supplemented.

"Robin and Regina were kissing in plain sight and it was us or them. I figure we can handle it, even if it sucks." Killian chuckled at that and squeezed her hand tighter.

"Aye love, I gather we can." Looking at Robin, Killian extended another serious consideration for the man to contemplate. "Look mate, I'm all about giving things a shot, but I think you have to ask yourself if this woman is worth it, and if she is, what the best way to handle this is. It wouldn't just be a bit of drama for the show, her job and her reputation is on the line."

Robin nodded, readily agreeing with Killian's assessment.

"That's why I'm dropping out." Emma frowned a bit.

"You can't actually drop out, the contracts are pretty specific…"

"Oh I know the contract. What I meant was tomorrow, I'm going to tank it, really just commit to total and complete failure." Emma's eyes grew wider, trying to imagine what that would look like.

"Or you could just drop your item right before judging." Robin snapped his fingers and pointed at Killian.

"That works too, and it's probably far less embarrassing in the long run." Seemingly set on his newfound path, Robin made his excuses and headed home, leaving Emma and Killian to consider everything that had just happened. Their entire plan for everything had radically changed in the span of ten minutes, now they would deal with the fall out.

"I'll talk to Liam, Emma. Surely there's no way he'd cause issue with me any more about this. I'll tell him how I feel about you and I have to believe that he'll see reason and spare the woman I love and I any problems."

 _Love! He said love!_ Emma didn't follow anything that came after that, instead searching his blue eyes. All she saw was reassurance and the word in question. He loved her and he had been proving it to her over and over the past few weeks. Right now he was trying to figure out how to protect her from her fear of everyone knowing, but that fear was nowhere to be found. Instead Emma found certainty that they'd actually done the right thing. Interrupting the rest of his words she kissed him passionately, still in plain view of where all the filming was taking place.

"Say it again," Emma demanded when she pulled back and he did without hesitation.

"I love you, Emma." She exhaled a deep breath and then her lips curled up into a smile.

"I love you too, so let's just go with it. Whatever happens we have each other, right?" Killian nodded, his hand cupping her cheek with a smile that portrayed his happiness and awe at the same time. He looked at her like she was everything, and Emma loved it just as much as she loved him.

"Always, love."

"Then take me home, Jones and show me _exactly_ how much you love me."

…..

"Fuck, Emma, when you said you wanted to try out a recipe on me, I didn't think you were being so literal."

Emma smirked at his commentary, but kept going, spreading more frosting along his abs with every intent of licking it off of him as he sat fully naked in the chair in her kitchen. Who knew professions of love made her so much more adventurous?

"Are you complaining?" She asked as her tongue licked a line of the sweet confection off his neck.

His only answer was a groan, and she knew she had him exactly where she wanted him – fighting for control and barely hanging on. Satisfied that the trail she'd made along his person would have the exact effect she wanted, Emma continued on, kissing and licking her way down his body as he strained for some semblance of stillness. His muscles flexed under her tongue and she went slow just to see at what point he'd really lose it. That came when her mouth hovered above his cock for a moment before taking him in. He let her have a few seconds, clearly a little overcome with the sensation before he pulled her off. In a swift motion that exuded strength, he brought her from her knees to be spread out on the table beside them.

"That's enough of that, Emma, you know the rules." The way he growled out the words had her whole body shivering with desire. Hell yes she knew the rules, she fucking loved the rules, but sometimes they were meant to be broken. "I see that thought floating around in your head, love, but I'm sticking to this. You come first, always." She sighed handing over the reins, for really, why would anyone ever fight all the mindless pleasure he was about to bestow on her.

His own mouth made its journey south, starting at her lips, down her jaw and to that spot at her pulse that always got her hot when he nipped at it. Further down he went, paying special attention to her breasts until she was all but writhing underneath him, but still he moved on, uninterested in getting them too quickly to the grand finale. Instead he brought her hips up, setting his mouth on her sex and delving into a demonstration of his sexual prowess so thorough Emma moaned his name over and over. Far faster than should have ever been possible, Emma was coming, just as Killian wanted, and the satisfied grin he gave her when he finally came back up to face her was ridiculously hot. His hair all messed up from her fingers running through it, a bit of chocolate on his cheek, and a fire burning in his eyes sparked by her and her alone… yeah this was pretty damn close to perfect. All they needed was exactly what came next, him kissing her as he thrust inside her waiting sex to the hilt.

"I'll never tire of how good you feel, Emma. You were made for me and I for you."

Emma couldn't speak, only demand more with her body arching and clawing at him for better access. If she could have responded, she would have said that his fan- _fucking_ -tastic love making, coupled with his constant sweet words was the world's biggest turn on. Seriously, she had never, ever had sex this good. Killian was somehow the master of all things orgasmic in her life now. With continued murmurings of how beautiful and wonderful she was as he fucked her, Emma was lost, incapable of resisting the pulls of her climax. She pulled him with her and there, in the aftermath, Emma could do nothing but smile as she tried to regulate her breathing.

"I love you, did I say that recently?" Killian grinned, kissing her again before taking her hand in his and leading her to the bathroom.

"Aye, love you did, and it's those words that got us all dirtied up in the kitchen at 2 in the morning." Emma shrugged, unfazed by the lateness of the hour as she moved into the shower and ran the water almost too hot. Looking back over her shoulder she offered a seductive kind of smile.

"Did I also mention that this was my master plan all along? Obviously if we were getting dirty, we'd also have to get clean." Just like that, Killian was in this all over again, and it was only after some slow and meticulous shower lovemaking that either of them managed to fall asleep before their early morning call time.

…

"So, someone obviously kept her boyfriend busy last night." Ruby said before getting her microphone put on to Emma. They were standing with Belle and Mary Margaret, drinking coffee for the early hour and trying to enjoy the last few moments of calm before the production storm would hit.

"He told me he loves me," Emma admitted and her friends all squealed in excitement, requiring Emma to shush them and hold them back from a full blown freak out right there in the middle of everything. They were dying for details though, so Emma gave them just a few.

"How did he do it?"

"Well you know how we were trying to keep all of this off of the show… yesterday something happened, with Robin and Regina-,"

"Yes!" Belle interrupted. "Pay up!" She said to Mary Margaret who grumbled but offered her a ten.

"So let me guess, you guys sacrificed your privacy to prevent a way bigger scandal. That sounds like you two, trying to be heroes by putting yourself in the line of fire." Ruby knew exactly what kind of change this would mean in the shows narrative. A couple that found each other through the magic of baking… That smelled like money, even to someone like Emma who had absolutely no television experience.

"There wasn't a choice to make. Besides, it was getting kind of hard to pretend that we were just friends. Now at least I don't have to sneak my glances at him."

Mary Margaret put a hand against Emma's arm, silently inquiring if she was really okay with this.

"It's a very good thing you did, Emma, but just know that whatever happens, we are on your side."

Emma knew that without a shadow of a doubt, but still carried the kind words as they were summoned to their stations for their day's set-up. Within the hour they were all once again at their stations with the weekend's biggest bake before them. As it was a week dedicated to 'delicacies' there was only two requirements – the bake had to involve at least ten ingredients, and incorporate at least two varying textures.

 _Easy enough_ , Emma thought to herself as she set forth once the hosts rang the bell to begin.

Her book this week was the _Scarlet Letter_ , one of those stories most people read in school and grew to dislike. For Emma though, it had always been one of the most intriguing of the classics. It dealt with heavy themes and the idea of sex, womanhood, and martyrdom. It also kind of tied in with what was happening right now in a kind of roundabout way. She knew any second she was going to get a visit from Ruby and Graham and the question on their minds would be about her 'secret love,' Only unlike Hester Prynne, she had no shame in her sex at all, and when the questions came, she'd be ready.

"Emma, you're off to a quick start, what do you have in store for all of us today?" Emma appreciated Ruby breaking into the questions gently and offered her a smile.

" _Scarlet Letter Lace Cakes_. It's a chocolate and hazelnut base cake, a bit more dense than the average cake, then a layer of sweet cream, topped with red caramelized laces."

"Sounds pretty intricate." Emma nodded.

"Go big or go home, right?" As expected, Graham used that as his opening to discuss her love life.

"Speaking of going big, that was quite the kiss you shared with Killian last night. Any comment on that for the audience at home?" Emma considered what to say, but ultimately went with humor.

"Congratulations to any of you who had a bet going with someone and called it." Graham and Ruby barked out a laugh and she heard Killian's low chuckle across the tent as well.

"Do you think that you would have ended up together without the show?" Emma didn't even need to think about that one at all.

"Yes. We were always going to happen." When the camera shifted away from her she followed its lens to a grinning Killian.

"Does he know that?" Ruby joked to Emma.

"Well I think everyone does now Ruby, that's the beauty of being followed by cameras all weekend long."

Through the grace of whatever God or Universal force was up there, they left it at that, moving to the other contestants. Killian too was interviewed, and when he was, more of those beautiful words came, though not to the same extent as when they were alone. But through it all, things definitely didn't seem as bad as she'd expected. Maybe it was just the fact that Emma knew Killian loved her, but Emma felt lighter, and unafraid of what lay ahead, at least in terms of the show.

In the last five minute stretch of the challenge, Emma managed to do an incredible amount of work, getting everything perfectly in order, with each of the lace A's looking immaculate and pristine on the individual cakes. Her display was flawless, professional looking even, but just after she placed the last one down on the tray, a loud _crash_ sounded from the back of the room. The clanging took her by surprise, even if she knew what it was without looking. Still she was curious and shocked when she saw all of Robin's complex éclairs on the ground, ruined.

"Oh my god!" Mary Margaret couldn't help the outburst and the look of pity that came, while David tried to help, even though there was nothing that could be salvaged. Robin, for his part, did a wonderful job of making it seem like an accident, but only Emma and Killian knew the truth. This was the plan, and though not as drastic as his first intentions, it would definitely do the job. The judges were already filing in and now he had nothing to present to them.

After circling the trashed bake like it was unsuspecting prey and they were vultures, the cameras moved towards the front where everyone lined up to present their creations to the judges. When Robin's name was called and he had nothing to show, Emma felt herself grimace. It was still uncomfortable, even if it was planned ahead of time.

"You mean to tell me that after all that, you dropped them? What, hand eye coordination not needed as a builder?" Mr. Gold's words rang out with more rudeness than was necessary. There was no pity or empathy, only a not so silent judgment from the mogul.

"Oh for once, have a little compassion you old grump!" Granny's scolding of Mr. Gold set the whole room so quiet, you could hear a pin drop, but she didn't give a damn looking at Robin. "Happens to the best of us, Locksley. No use crying over spilled éclairs, even if Mr. Gold seems to think it on par with first degree murder."

"My thoughts exactly," Robin replied, casting a quick glance at Regina who agreed with Granny. It was terribly bad luck, but she was sure they would have been great. He'd shown a lot of growth as this competition had gone on.

When everyone's treats were tasted, and the judges had deliberated, the results were pretty unsurprising – Robin was indeed going home, and thank goodness really. Emma wondered what kind of crazy stunt she and Killian would have had to pull to deflect attention if another similar incident had happened. Luckily, they'd never have to find out, but still it was sad that Robin's time on the show had come to an end.

"Will you tell Roland the truth?" Emma asked later, away from the fray of the others while she and Robin waited to do their exit interviews. He nodded.

"In a way, yes. I'll tell him there's more important things than reality TV, and that sometimes we have to do things we don't like to secure the life we want." Emma nodded, it was good advice, and probably would make a lot more sense to the young boy than an explicit explanation of him and Regina trying to date would. "She's probably going to find you at some point and thank you. It won't be big or dramatic, but know that she'll mean it sincerely, even if she covers it with excess cool."

"Neither of you owes me anything. Just give it your best shot, and if it's love, invite me to the wedding. She makes a mean wedding cake from what I can tell, and I want to steal some of that skill."

Robin laughed, but then it was Emma's turn to talk once more to Tink for her end of day debriefing. She marveled at the funniness of that as they set her up for the interview. Baking itself was a pretty solitary hobby, yet on this show, it felt like all she did was talk.

"Big week for you, Emma, how are you feeling after all of it?" Tink asked.

"I think the competition is getting harder and harder because the people still here all have talent. But I also think that we've found a way to have fun with each other. There's a great vibe under the tent now."

"You won star baker again, do you think that this puts more or less pressure on you as you move forward?"

"Honestly, this is just as much about me setting personal goals outside of the judges expectations. So from here on out, it's about trying to do my best, and then doing better. Once you start taking all of this too seriously, that's where it stops being fun, and I don't ever want baking to not be fun."

Tink's mouth set in a firm line after that and that signaled to Emma that she was uncomfortable with the upcoming question, so instead of waiting to hear it, she filled in with what she was comfortable sharing.

"It's a new thing for me – wearing my heart on my sleeve, but clearly I have been more transparent than I like to think of myself with this. I really care about Killian, and the relationship we're in the process of forming. It's good, you know? Like when you finally get that perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. But it's also ours, and so I doubt there'll be any more big kisses or crazy romantic storylines. We're here for a competition, and boyfriend or not, he's still standing between me and that title."

"So he _is_ your boyfriend?"

"Yes, America. Killian Jones is my boyfriend. I realize I am extremely lucky to have landed the hot, sweet, foreign guy. Trust me, I can't really understand how it happened either."

"That's perfect – more than enough, thank you Emma." Emma bid Tink good-bye, and walked away from the cameras only to run smack into Killian's chest. He looked around to see no one near them and took her to the same corner where Robin and Regina had been the day before.

"Killian what are you-" Before she could get the rest of her question out he was kissing her, and Emma wouldn't have cared even if they weren't covered by the curtain. All that mattered was him and how right this felt. When they finally pulled apart, there was no one the wiser as to what they'd done and he rested his forehead against hers smiling.

"What was that for?" Emma whispered.

"Well you threw down a challenge. No more kisses, indeed." She laughed, but quickly muffled it with her hand, not wanting to give their location away.

"You could just kiss me at home you know, right?" He growled low as he placed one more kiss to her lips and then pulled her away from there.

"I'll do more than kiss you, Emma." Damn, that sounded good, so without any further delay, she followed him to wherever he was leading.

 _ **Post-Note: And there we have it! Smut, love confessions and a Scarlet Letter shout out. Also had to give my Outlaw Queen babies some love for a second there, while also making Emma and Killian pseudo heroes in the process. Okay, that's all, thanks for reading!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Week seven brings us to pastry week, but more importantly, it brings us to a head with one of the storylines I've been including thus far. This chapter, there will finally be a confrontation between Emma and Liam about his using Emma and Killian's relationship for ratings. Hope you guys enjoy and thanks for reading!**_

 _Welcome to the Pastry Party._

Emma had read the sign dangling on the side of the big white tent at least ten times so far this morning and she was only just completing her first bake of the day. For whatever reason, the sign made her laugh, in fact, the entire theme of this weekend's festivities kept an almost permanent smile on her face. They were treating this like a big celebration, with streamers, balloons, and even a mid morning mimosa that one of the PAs had just given her.

"Anyone else feel like we're just waiting for the other shoe to drop at this point?" Belle asked and suddenly it dawned on Emma that realistically, that was exactly what they should all be expecting.

"Well I am now, love," Killian muttered from his station and Emma looked at him, a bit concerned. Everyone was nearly finished making his or her cannoli, but Belle made a great point – what was all of this actually for? If the production team has spent money to bring a party life, there had to be some sort of endgame.

Emma didn't have the luxury of considering what those problems might be now though, for she still had to put the caramel filling inside each and every hazelnut shell to complete her cannoli for consideration. Emma focused intently enough on those to miss the fact that Killian, who was done slightly early with his bake, had been waved outside by Ruby discretely. Emma probably wouldn't have noticed his absence had it not been for the yell that came seconds later.

" _You've got to be bloody kidding me! Where is he?!"_

You could have heard a pin drop in the tent after that, and Emma instinctively knew that the 'he' in question was Liam and that this week's theme may just have everything to do with the two of them. Stepping back from her display of finished product, Emma wanted to go comfort Killian, but was halted by Graham of all people.

"I really don't think you want to go back there right now," He whispered, as Emma watched him turn his microphone pack off. She followed suit, before replying.

"What's going on?" Emma asked and Graham grimaced.

"There's a cake back there that they were going to bring out between rounds." Emma still wasn't fully following. How could a cake be that bad? They were on a baking show.

"And?"

"And it's a one week anniversary cake for you and Killian with a picture of the kiss on it," Graham whispered, clearly sorry for the whole thing.

Emma knew her cheeks were probably burning red right now, this was incredibly embarrassing, but more than that it was almost cruel. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw Liam on the other side of the tent. Killian hadn't found him yet, and Emma was set on giving Liam a piece of her mind before he did.

"Emma, I don't think-," She left in the middle of Graham's warning, uninterested in the repercussions. This was the tipping point. She'd had more than enough of Liam's interfering.

"Why are you here?" Emma demanded of Liam after pulling him just outside the tent.

"Well love, I'm the head producer, have been for weeks if you haven't noticed." The sarcasm was infuriating and lacked all the charm that Killian's witty little replies ever held.

"Oh I've noticed. I meant why did you come to Storybrooke?"

"I liked the chance to see my brother, not that it's really any of your business." Emma bit back the immediate retort that tried to pass her lips, which would have essentially been her screaming _'Of course it's my fucking business!'_ Instead she tried to stay cool even if she was currently seeing red.

"Why though? All you've done since coming here is make him miserable! You have the hosts embarrass him all the time talking about things he wants to keep private, and you barely speak to him during the week in between filming. So I have to ask again, why are you here?" Emma watched a flash of surprise pass over Liam's features, but then he went on the defensive, arms crossing over his chest. He tried to use his height and bulk against Emma, maybe intimidate her a little, but that sure as hell wasn't going to happen.

"I'm doing what's best for him. He fancies himself in love with you and I'm trying to see if you can hack it, if both of you can." Emma arched a brow at the preposterous notion.

"So all of this is some sort of test? All of the harassment and the continued light you keep throwing on us is to see if we'll break along the way… you think you're helping?!"

How could this have ever been helping? Killian and Emma were not public figures. When this show ended, so would their fifteen minutes of fame. They had no need to survive under a spotlight of scrutiny, and it was ridiculous to think that they did. They could have never told the world they were together and been just as happy, and somehow even the whole world knowing wasn't enough. Liam just wanted to keep pushing.

"It's my job to protect Killian-,"

"The only person he needs protecting from is you! You're the bad guy right now, making problems where they never needed to exist. And you say it's all for Killian, but I don't believe that either because this is your _job_. You're not using your career to test me or my love for your brother - you're using _us_ for ratings." Liam stepped closer, just as angry as Emma.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You're brand knew to Killian's life, _I'm_ his family." Emma was about to respond that she was his family too when Tink stepped in, moving Emma back and turning a full fury on Liam, the likes of which Emma had never seen from the smaller woman before.

"Stop talking, Liam. You have become such an insufferable ass! What the hell happened to you?! You used to be the nicest guy. I quit my last job to follow you on this and so did half the crew. And for what?! To watch you turn this into every other reality show on television right now instead of making good on your promise that we could make something better." Tink's anger directed at Liam had the man shrinking back immediately. Emma watched, still a bit in shock from all of this, but slightly intrigued by the power her small friend wielded over this giant man.

"Tink, I didn't think-," Tink poked her finger into Liam's chest hard.

"That's right, you didn't think! This was supposed to be about enjoyment, not drama and intrigue. Instead it's become a nightmare for the contestants and heartbreaking for me- I mean the crew. You used to be better than this Liam, so either find the man you were before or…"

Emma watched as Tink tried to hold onto the anger, but underneath the blaze of it, Emma saw sadness too. Only now did it dawn on Emma that there might be more than professional feelings between Tink and Liam. To spare Tink any more pain, Emma stepped in again.

"Or make peace with the fact that this show isn't happening. Because we will leave. All of us will leave."

Liam looked at Emma a long beat, the hostility towards her from earlier fully gone. There might even have been a little sympathy in that gaze, but it was quickly moved over to Tink, who received the brunt of his guilt and sadness. Before any of them could be subjected to more pain, Emma pulled Tink with her back into the tent staying away from the rest of the filming still.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked and Tink nodded, breathing deeply and trying to get her bearings.

"I'm so sorry, Emma." That this woman would apologize to her when she'd just risked her job to defend her was staggering, but spoke volumes about Tink's character.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Really, you don't." Tink sniffled a bit and wiped at her eyes, managing to keep the tears there from falling.

"I let my feelings for him keep me from advocating for you and Killian more, Emma. That was a mistake." Emma shook her head.

"Don't give up on him yet." Tink's eyes flashed up to Emma's with surprise.

"But after everything he's done…" Emma squeezed Tink's hand.

"Everyone loses their way, some of us a bit more than the rest. But Killian talks all the time about the man Liam _really_ is, or the man he used to be. I have to believe he can be that guy again, for Killian and for you."

" _Emma?"_ Killian's voice from behind her made her heart jump a bit. She needed to talk to him, and to make sure they were okay and on the same page, but she also didn't want to leave Tink.

"Go on, Emma. I'm fine, really. And if there's any problems later, I'll let you beat him up for me."

Emma smiled genuinely at that before turning to Killian and facing the music. Would he be mad at the way she'd spoken to Liam? She was hardly naïve enough to think that no one had heard them, and she'd said a lot of things, none that she regretted, unless they'd somehow hurt Killian.

"Killian I –,"

Before Emma could say anything he moved towards her and claimed her mouth was his. This wasn't a gentle kiss, but a passionate, demanding expression of so much pent up feeling and emotion that there was no fighting it, only surrender. When they finally pulled away, Emma didn't care if there were a thousand cameras around, she only cared that the man she loved was smiling at her running his hand over her cheek.

"I love you, Emma." She let go of the breath she'd been holding and smiled back.

"Good. That makes two of us."

Killian chuckled lightly, his thumb grazing her cheek tenderly before pulling back. When they looked around, all of the contestants were watching them and there was crew everywhere but no one was focusing their cameras on them. Emma was surprised, but Ruby filled her in.

"While you two were making out, Liam put Tink in charge for the rest of the day. He left right after."

Emma nodded, now fully understanding. Tink would never be the person to use them for a ratings gain, and so at least for the rest of the day under this big tent they were safe. It made Emma a little gloomy though that it took the exit of Killian's only family to grant them that feeling of wellbeing.

"I suppose this means I can kiss you whenever I want now." Emma swatted his arm playfully.

"Um, no. You can't distract me and keep me from winning star baker. If you do I'll never forgive you," Emma teased, prompting a smirk from Killian in response.

"Well I'll have to channel all this into something. If not kissing you then perhaps it is I who will steal the crown this week."

"Oh it's so on," Emma countered gamely, and Killian responded low enough so only she could here.

"No love. That would be later, when I finally get you alone again." With that lovely promise of impending magnificence, both Emma and Killian returned to their stations.

The day's production had been delayed, but under Tink's orders, things ran smoothly. The judges seemed to pick up on the tension in the room, and thankfully even Gold minded his words a bit more than usual before they deliberated and the technical challenge was distributed. For the first time in a long time, the bakers were faced with a challenge from Mr. Gold but Emma and the others were stunned at the pastry the recipe called for.

"What the heck does Mr. Gold know about Baklava? There's no fourteen-carat standard for this. No way to powder it with bling of any kind." Belle's words rang through the tent and had Emma smiling, but she didn't question the source of this bake's intel. Instead she reveled in the complexities, the multiple layers, and the care and precision required for making and baking with filo dough.

The hours ticked by and through the bake, the crew and the hosts took extra care to treat the week's theme with caution. They still had a party, now including pizza instead of cake, and the hosts went around laughing and joking with each contestant. Despite the difficulty of the task before her, and the emotional stress of the morning over all, Emma relaxed into her afternoon.

By the time the hosts made their way to Emma to speak, she was well into creating the honey/syrup mixture and preparing the nuts accordingly to give the dessert that extra bit of crunch. It was difficult, and a bit perplexing if she was honest, thanks to the continuation of the redacted recipe gambit, but she persevered and in the end, whether it was exactly up to par or not, she knew it would taste damn good.

"So, Emma, how are we feeling about our culinary trip to Greece for this technical challenge?" Emma smiled at Ruby genuinely.

"I'm feeling like you two really have the easy job this week. You got to learn how to dance and made a lot of _'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'_ references, while the rest of us made filo from scratch."

"Well _I_ learned to dance. Graham mostly learned to jerk around without rhythm," Ruby said.

"How you slander me. I mean really, this is a day of celebration and still I get no reprieve from the teasing." Graham looked to Emma for some backup but Emma only shrugged.

"I mean, I wasn't going to bring it up, but you are kind of terrible at dancing," Emma confirmed and Graham groaned.

"I can't catch a break in this town!"

"I doubt it's just this town judging your style now Huntsman. Remember you work on national TV. You're gonna have a couple million viewers knowing your shame." David's words caused the whole tent full of people to laugh, a positive expulsion of any lingering drama that remained and Emma sighed happily.

"And I suppose you could do better," Graham challenged and David grinned.

"Well, I can do anything better than I can make this recipe." Graham raised an eyebrow.

"So how about a dance off? Me and Ruby versus you and a partner of your choosing." Emma looked at David, interested to see who he would choose, and assuming it would be Mary Margaret.

"You're on. Jones, let's do this." Emma barked out a bit of laughter before turning to Killian's station. He looked surprised, but when he saw her smiling he grinned.

"I take it I have no say in the matter." David shook his head.

"None at all." With a shrug, Killian moved to the middle of the room where a camera crew now followed them and Ruby and Graham.

"This is the kind of fun this show is about," Tink said as she stood with Emma while the two pairs had their dance off under the careful tutelage of an appointed Greek dance expert.

"I don't know. The Brits never seem to stoop to these kinds of levels," Emma replied.

"True. But wouldn't it be fantastic if they did?" Tink asked and her and Emma laughed, nodding that she was right.

A timer from Killian's station ended the impromptu stand off with a resounding win for Killian and David. Unfortunately for the victors, their involvement in the dance had them rushing to the finish and both barely made it to their presentation on time.

"Alright bakers, your time is up. Step away from the gorgeous Greek treats before you and say, Opa! Because you have finally reached the end of your baking today." Graham threw a plate on the ground, only for it to clatter and roll instead of break. He looked confused as Ruby muffled a laugh.

"You know that's plastic right?" Ruby asked and Graham sighed.

"Well I do now."

As the contestants had a good laugh at the exchange, the judges filed in to do the blind testing. In the end, their judgments didn't bother Emma, even when they found flaws with her bake. She was eager to have the day over, and to go home to the quiet comfort of just her and Killian, away from everything else. When Killian won first place for his technical, though, Emma knew that quiet may never actually come, for he was on his way to making good on his quest for star baker, and she expected she had not heard nearly the end of this. That was fine with her though, for wherever they went, and whatever they spoke of, she knew one thing – she and Killian would be together and being with him made her happier than she'd ever thought possible.

….

 _Warmth and pleasure mingled together as Emma dreamed about Killian's hands running along her body, pulling her close. He dropped a kiss on her neck, his hands drifting so they touched her thigh, creeping higher when her legs so willingly parted. The feel of his breath above the place he'd kissed her sent sizzle of heat coursing through her as she arched closer wanting more._

"You need to be awake for this, Emma. Tempting as you are, I need you with me." Emma's eyes popped open at the comment and she flushed seeing that her real life was exactly like the dream she'd thought she'd been having.

"You're real," she said out loud, and Killian grinned before kissing her lips gently.

"Last time I checked, love. And you are the realest thing in the world to me."

Now certain she was awake, his touch trailed higher and made contact with the place she wanted him most. His thumb grazed across her clit, his fingers moving inside of her and Emma squirmed for more friction and better access. The movement pulled Killian's attention from that spot at her neck to her breasts and he pulled a taut nipple into his mouth and sucked.

" _Fuck!_ Killian, I need more!"

He hummed a sound of affirmation against her breast as his thumb applied more pressure with its swirling motion around her clit. Killian knew exactly what he was doing to her but he kept his pace, causing Emma's breath to catch and her thoughts to scatter. She moaned into the start of her impending climax and he pulled his mouth away from her breast to press kisses at her lips and jaw.

"I'll never tire of that sound, Emma. Or the feel of you tightening around me. You want this just as much as I do." Emma shook her head.

" _More_. I want it so much more."

His groan as he pushed her over the edge only heightened her pleasure, sending her soaring only to come back down as he trailed kisses down her body. She knew exactly what he intended with that wandering mouth and the thought had her already buzzing again. It didn't matter that he'd shattered her world with the feel of his fingers, she was greedy for more, desperate for the feel of his tongue on her.

"I love how responsive you are, Emma."

She jumped a little as Killian kissed the inside of her thigh, taking his time to draw out the anticipation. She closed her eyes, unable to handle how good it felt and how hot he looked at the same time. He left her a jumble of nerves, a swirling collection of sensation gripping the sheets like a vice. She was helpless to her desires and so far gone that when he swiped a lick from her sex to her clit she nearly yelped. Words couldn't describe this. It was everything and not enough at the same time.

"I love you," Emma said during one moment of almost clarity, with a lust induced airiness sounding through the words. Killian growled as he lapped at her and the vibrations sent her shuddering through another climax, somehow stronger and more luscious than the first.

"I love you too, Emma. More than anything."

The affirmation as he made his way back to her had Emma riled with a need to have him inside her now. She wanted him to feel what he'd done to her and to drive him as crazy with need as she was. Flipping their positions so she was now on top, she moved to straddle his cock as she pressed her hands against his chest. The feeling of his muscles as they tensed in anticipation had her smiling, but when she lowered onto him, allowing him to fill her as she tightened around him, that smile faded to a look of pure pleasure.

"Emma love, I want to give you everything you want, but if you don't move, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Appeasing his request, she did just that, riding up and down and giving them both everything they craved to get to that crest of ecstasy faster and harder. When she finally let go, careening into that state of bliss once more, and he followed, Emma lay back on the bed, cheek to his chest and tried to regain her breathing.

"I know I've said this before, but I _really_ can't wait for this show to be over." Killian smiled.

"And why's that love?"

"Because I have all sorts of ideas about what I'd like to do to you, given a whole Sunday with nowhere to go and nothing to do."

Emma saw the heat flash in his eyes, and knew they'd both be incredibly late if she allowed them even a moment more in bed together. Quickly, she scurried from the bed into the master bath and only dared to look at him again when she was about to close the door.

"I gather you don't trust yourself in the shower with me this morning, love." She nodded, unashamed of the fact that his naked body, intense cerulean gaze, and bed head was too much temptation for her this morning.

"We'll never get there if we do." He stretched out a bit and she tracked the motion, already regretting her decision to shower alone. Fuck the show. Actually, fuck her really.

"If you insist, love."

Killian moved to the hallway to grab his own shower and she watched him walk away. Her one consolation in the face of no more sex was her certainty hat this was a forever kind of love, and she was willing to go the distance to make sure she had this every morning.

….

As they made their way to the tent for the final time this weekend, Emma and Killian walked hand in hand, both a bit quieter than usual. Realistically, Liam would be back today, and that meant facing the words still left unsaid all over again. Would things be better? Or, as Emma feared, would her outburst yesterday have prompted a larger rift between the brothers? They'd barely made it through the lawns to the tent when they were greeted by the man in question looking rather contrite.

"Brother," Killian said with a slight nod and a wary gaze as Liam bowed his head a bit.

"I owe both of you an apology," Liam said without any other means of greeting. He looked at Emma specifically and went on. "You were right, Emma, about everything. There is no excuse for the way I've acted, but I have been in the wrong, and it's about time I try and change that. I don't expect your forgiveness just now, surely I'd have to earn it, but I do appreciate what you said if it means I can have a second chance to make this right."

"As long as you make it right with Killian, you can consider us even. Oh, and Tink. You need to apologize to her too." Liam went red, much to the surprise of Emma, who had never seen the man look embarrassed before.

"I'm aware of the missteps I've made there too."

While Emma might have wanted a bit more information than that, she tampered down her curiosity and gave Killian a kiss on the cheek. Then, walking towards the tent, she left him to settle things with his brother. They needed a bit of privacy, and she needed a dose of something she had been missing the past two days – the comfort of her best friends.

"There you are, and with no broken knuckles. I assume Liam apologized then." Emma nodded at Mary Margaret's assessment.

"I'm just happy he did the right thing. Killian has really missed him."

"Not that I'm not thrilled for Killian, and for you. Lord knows that you've both been through enough shit with the whole romance plotline, but I kind of just want to know what's going on with him and Tink. Does that make me a terrible friend?" Ruby asked.

"If it does, then so am I because I've been wondering since I got here." Emma looked at Belle curiously.

"Have they been together at all?" Emma asked and Belle shook her head.

"Every time Liam tries to get close she walks away, pretending to be busy with something. The crew has done a pretty good job of helping her avoid him."

Emma glanced over to Tink who stood on the other side of the tent, not paying attention to the PA talking in front of her. She was lost in her own thoughts and Emma felt for her. It must be incredibly difficult to act strong in a moment like this, but there was a lot riding on her professionalism. Tink's heart wasn't the only thing on the line, her job was too, and having two parts of her world tangled up together like that must be burdensome.

"She's protecting herself, which is natural after everything that's happened," Emma supplemented.

"But has anything actually _happened_ between them? Or do you think she's just uncomfortable because she gave too much away yesterday?" The friends all agreed that the latter was more likely.

"I think her heart has been breaking a little more every week. The further he got from the man she knew, the worse the hurt must have been."

Emma couldn't imagine going through the same thing with Killian as she said the words. He was so genuine and open and honest about what he wanted and who he was. It was one of the things Emma loved most about him. Just thinking that there ever could be a moment when she watched him transform from the man she knew into someone else made her heart hurt.

"Well, only time will tell if they can get through it," Mary Margaret mused.

"Oh they'll get through it," Graham said with confidence as he approached the friends.

"How can you be so sure? And how long have you been listening?!" Graham's eyes lit up at Ruby's lack of composure from his surprise entrance into the conversation.

"Because they love each other. And love always finds a way."

Ruby and Graham had a beat pass between them that went on longer than a normal conversation between friends or coworkers usually would. Emma had to wonder again if there was something more between them, but soon the moment was broken by a renewed sense of hustle under the tent.

"Speaking of ways, we should really all be making ours to our stations. I don't know about you, but I am terrified of this macaroon challenge and I'm going to need all the time I can get." Belle led Mary Margaret and Emma away just to whisper low enough so Graham and Ruby couldn't hear "It's like a freaking love fest under this tent. First Killian and Emma, Mary Margaret and David, Robin and Regina. At every step another one falls."

"It is kind of crazy, isn't it?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Someday we'll laugh about this, I'm sure," Emma replied.

"But not today, because I was serious about those macaroons," Belle quipped.

The friends laughed together before being called up to their stations. Belle was right to be worried, this was an overwhelming challenge, creating three different varieties of macaroons in only a few hours was a lot of work. By the end of their time though, Emma had created three distinct flavors: lavender vanilla, dark chocolate raspberry, and a lemon meringue inspired infusion.

All of the bakers lined up for judging as they did each Sunday, eager to have the weekend behind them. Emma was also excited to see who would win and who would go home. Both came as a surprise to her. Tiana, with the help of some incredible macaroons took the title of star baker when Emma had thought it would be Killian, while David, despite his amazing Greek dancing, was sent home. You'd never have guessed though given his big smile. There was no real disappointment here for him.

"I was never actually going to win this thing, you know," David said as he interviewed with Tink at the end of the judging. "It's going to come down to Emma, Tiana, and someone else. Going home this week just means I can sleep in next weekend." Emma laughed at David's words before feeling Killian's hand come to grab hers.

"I've got some good news, love. As part of our extended apology, we've been excused from our exit interviews this week."

"What will we ever do with this newfound freedom?" Emma asked as she and Killian left the white tent behind them.

"I actually had an idea about that. I was hoping you'd move in with me." Emma stopped walking.

"What?!" He gave her that boyish smile she loved, filled with hope and sincerity and continued his pitch.

"I love you, Emma, and I'm in this for the long haul. I know it's fast, but I don't want to spend another day not waking up to you." Those were all excellent points. Still, Emma put up just a tiny bit of resistance.

"But why am I moving in with you? Why not the other way around?"

"I suspect you like my house more than yours, seeing as you've insisted on sex in each and every room."

Emma heated at the thought. Again, he made an excellent point, and he was right, she really liked his house. Maybe it was crazy, and maybe it was too fast, but she was really considering this. When Killian came forward and took her other hand in his as well, she readied herself for the final attempt to convince her.

"You and I are different, Emma. Where everyone else may need more time, I don't. I know how I feel, and I know it's never going to change. I can see it in your eyes that you do to."

"I do," Emma whispered.

"So say yes," Killian implored. She smiled, excited to do just that.

"Yes."

With that, Killian wrapped her up in a great big hug, spinning her around a little bit before kissing her. Hell, if this was what he was like asking her to move in, what would he do when she agreed to marry him?

 _Woah, getting ahead of yourself there Emma,_ she thought as she stepped back from the kiss, but Killian remained close, taking stock of all her features as if trying to memorize this moment.

"Let's go home, love." She didn't say it out loud, but Emma smiled as they continued on, thinking that really anywhere could be her home now, as long as Killian was with her.

 _ **Post-Note: So there we have it, another fluffy addition to 'Just a Taste.' I know it's fast, but wow I really love the idea of Killian and Emma not being terrified to love each other (like they have been in the past on the actual show). So of course I translate that into them moving in with each other after dating for six weeks. What can I say? I'm a sucker for angst-less cuteness. Hope you guys enjoyed and thanks for reading!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Week eight brings the remaining players in this story to another Americanized week. I have deemed this the breakfast challenge, mostly because I wanted to return to baked goods I know how to make myself. Don't worry, there's still plenty of bad puns and cuteness to go around, and enough fluff and smut to get us through another week. Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoy!**_

If anyone had tried to tell Emma that in just a few weeks time she'd be used to cameras tracking her every move in the kitchen while she baked, she'd have called them crazy. Baking for the longest time had been personal for Emma, and a means for her to melt away from a present moment and into whatever she wanted to think of or dream of instead. To do that, to reach that same state of zen while on display for cameras and an eventual at home audience, should never have been possible, but here she was. Finally, content that everything in her life was going well, Emma lost herself in the process of making her favorite muffin recipe.

As she beat together the eggs and sugar, folded in the flour, and created her first baked good of the weekend, Emma thought about the week that had passed. In six days she had managed to move nearly everything she planned on taking from her house to Killian's. Things were moving quickly, but the blending of their two lives was going about as seamlessly as a good bake. Everything was clicking into place, save for one element. Killian and Emma had discussed it, and for now at least, it made sense to keep Emma's home unlisted. At least until all the buzz around the show wound down, they'd keep this new part of their lives quiet. The only people who needed to know about this next step were their close friends.

"Focus in on Tiana's methods, if you would. She's bringing together her batter in a different style than the others. Make sure the light is with you. Aye, like that."

Emma could hear Liam's quiet demands of his crew and for the first week in her _Great American Baking Show_ memory, it didn't put her on edge. The change in Killian's brother had been profound, and whether it was thanks to his renewed relationship with Killian, or the harsh censure of a certain assistant, Emma didn't know. All she could say was that the man beneath the bluster and ambition was one she'd appreciated getting to know better. With Killian's trust restored in him, Liam had been introduced to their home a few nights back for dinner, and Emma managed to get more than a few stories out of Liam about him and Killian and their rambunctious youth.

Unfortunately for Liam, the forgiveness and acceptance he'd largely found with Emma and Killian did not spread to all of the bridges he'd started to burn when fueled by network wants and ratings. Tink, though cordial and attentive to her professional responsibilities, was still throwing herself into activities that didn't require interaction with Liam whenever possible. Not that Emma could blame her really, hell she didn't even know the whole story of what their history was, and Liam had been extremely guarded over it when she'd asked. It was just hard to watch a person she'd grown to care for, a woman who had been strong enough to risk her standing at her job for what was right, suffer this sort of discomfort.

"I think I have an idea about how we can fix that," Belle said to Emma discretely as she stood beside her friend and gestured over to Tink. Emma placed her own muffins in the oven to bake, and by the time she'd closed the door, Mary Margaret had joined their impromptu meeting.

"How?"

"Well how do we fix all matters of the heart?" Emma and Mary Margaret smiled before responding together.

"Wine."

"Right, so tonight, we'll invite her out with us to girls night. No taking no for an answer, and with the trusty assistance of a much needed drink on her part, we'll figure it all out." Emma sized up her friend Belle, who more and more had been demonstrating that she was incredibly intelligent when it came to people. Emma had always known she was book smart, but this was a newfound skill.

"I think you've just really taken to match making," Mary Margaret said, taking the words right out of Emma's mouth. Belle shrugged.

"What can I say? I need an outlet for all of those romance novels I read, and a man would get in the way of that."

Emma laughed but a thought came to mind. Belle would actually make a really great author. Emma had seen some of her writing samples, and knew her friend was not lying about her wealth of romance literary insight. Emma made a mental note to bring that possibility up to her friend at a later point, maybe even tonight after they'd finished getting the truth from Tink.

"We should give it a code name so if we bring it up the rest of today, no one knows what we're talking about." Mary Margaret's excitement at the prospect of covert operations was laughable, but perhaps effective.

"Operation _One More Couple_?" Belle joked. Emma shook her head.

"Too obvious. It needs some level of hiding what we're doing." Emma looked at big red count down clock and an idea came to her. "Operation _Time's Up_?"

"Sounds kind of ominous. How about Operation _Right Time_?" All three of them agreed to that idea only for Ruby to make her way over, camera crew in tow and a hand on her hip.

"Girls, I love you, really I do, but I can't save you if you have a bad bake today because you're too busy planning world domination." Belle's dramatic response of a hand thrown over her face to cover her eyes and a groan had Emma muffling a laugh.

"Ruby, now you've gone and ruined it! Thanks for nothing!"

As Belle and Mary Margaret made their way back to their stations, Ruby sidled up to Emma and hit her hip against hers.

"We were actually planning girls night tonight," Emma filled in. "Now that I think about it, that seemed like an incredibly overconfident thing to do."

Ruby laughed at that and then walked through with Emma every step in her process. Today's bakes, all of the contestants had been told, would be getting more in depth profiles. Thanks to the fact that there were less bakers, and that there was a new direction for the show, the hosts, either together or separately, wouldn't just be providing comedic relief, but gathering more information about the process.

"So, if people wanted to make this recipe, or one like it at home, what would you advise?" Emma loved this question, and was thrilled that finally she was getting her chance to approach this competition like the people in the original franchise. Thank goodness she'd lasted this long in the competition to get her shot.

"The thing about muffins is that their kind of like cake, only if the cake you were making had a tendency towards denseness. The best muffins I've ever had and ever made have toed that line between being just a bit too heavy, and still having a sort of lightness. The key to getting that is to chill your batter for a little while before baking." Ruby smiled.

"So that's why you put yours in a bit later than everyone else."

Emma nodded, checking on her bake and deciding it was time to take them out. The happy little sigh that Ruby let out when she smelled the _Twist on Traditional Blueberry_ muffins sealed for Emma that at least her taste would be right, no matter how the bake turned out. The addition of cream cheese Emma knew added a richness and an almost silky composition to the muffins, and also added a bit more savory of a smell into the sweetness of the berries.

"Well that and I just like playing with fire. The closer I get to the zero on that count down clock, the higher the adrenaline rush," Emma joked. Ruby laughed heartily, but Emma's acknowledgement of the time reminded everyone that there was more to be done.

When the bell did chime, signaling that all bakes needed to be presented, Emma was happy with her display, and luckily for her, so were the judges. She received almost perfect feedback (well as close as one could get to perfect with Mr. Gold as a judge) and was excited, until the judges moved on to Belle's and announced that her muffins were dry. When Mr. Gold decided to use Emma's standard against Belle, it undercut any good feelings Emma previously had. She didn't ever want to be used to shame someone like that.

"Alright that's enough." The comment from Liam as Gold was about to continue his breakdown of every single flaw Belle's bake had, silenced the room. No one moved for a moment, breaths caught, the air filled with tension. Mr. Gold was shocked for a moment but soon prickled at the command.

"I'm being paid to critique the food, and I'm damn well going to do it," The man sneered and Liam crossed his arms over his chest, hitting home the size difference between the two men.

"At this rate you're intending to go on for another ten minutes, and with a forty-five minute show, I can guarantee it'll all be cut. I got your snippet, and so enough is enough." Mr. Gold stepped forward, his snarl becoming more apparent on his face.

"You realize that I could leave right now, and then where would you be?" Liam smiled, but it was almost more a bearing of teeth. It reminded Emma of wild animals that seemed to grin at an opponent just before attack.

"In a fantastic position to sue, and likely doing better with young female viewers. There's just something about you they seem to find so off putting." Damn, when Liam went in, he did not pull the punches.

"Liam," Tink's voice cut through the moment, soft but stern. Maybe their producer was willing to go toe to toe with one of their main judges, but that didn't mean it was a great idea. Liam looked at her, and Emma saw in his eyes a want to understand her, but he caved instead to her wish, even though he'd found no answers.

"We've got what we need from this bake. On to the next one." As the crew set up the required next elements, Killian approached Emma, standing close enough to whisper.

"Well that was certainly something," He acknowledged. Emma nodded, feeling herself calm from Killian's presence alone. Emma let the kind, almost melodic lilt of his accent wash over her as she moved the slightest bit closer to him.

"Who knew your brother was a crusader for justice all this time?" Killian smiled, shooting his brother across the tent a thoughtful look.

"I did. But bloody hell, when he commits, he doesn't half ass it. Making an enemy of a judge like that for a woman he barely knows…"

"It was honorable. And whether or not he meant for it to do so, it seemed to thaw some of the ice away." Emma gestured to Tink who was ignoring her own clipboard to look at Liam. Emma felt Killian's hand on the small of her back, the warmth was powerful even though it was a simple touch.

"I think it's very likely my brother's affections for the lady rival mine for you," Killian mused and Emma looked at him surprised.

"Really? You think he loves her then?"

"Aye, love. Now, do I think anyone capable of love as strong as I have for you? Certainly not. The world would be a far less productive place." Emma laughed at that.

"So you're some sort of hero for managing to carry on a relatively normal life despite your overwhelming love for me?" Emma teased and Killian's other hand came to rest on her hip, moving her to face him, no thought of their surroundings at all.

"I don't know if I'd go that far, Emma. Life with you is far from normal after all. It's spectacular."

Emma smiled, and rose to kiss him lightly, not allowing anymore than that to pass between them. She didn't care if the action made it's way to TV, for she knew no one would use their quiet confessions against them, Liam had made sure to promise that. It was faith in that promise that let her freely say what she needed to say.

"I love you Killian Jones," He smiled, the look in his eyes so filled with love it turned those clear blue eyes a little hazy.

"And I love you, Emma. More than I can ever say."

"Alright love birds. You may have some sort of truce with production, but if you're going to stand here making heart eyes at each other all afternoon, I won't promise any such protections from me." Ruby's words were light hearted, though neither Emma nor Killian sought to test the validity of the statement. They broke apart, returning to their stations and faced their technical challenge.

"Bakers, this week's technical challenge is a dalliance with delicate details. A courtship with complex creation, a stroll with-," Ruby groaned mid statement from Graham.

"Oh my God, come on guys, seriously?! This much alliteration? You're just messing with me at this point, right?"

Graham grinned at her, reminding everyone in the room (and eventually America) why he was considered such a heartthrob. Seriously, it took a lot of looks, charm, and kindness to spend a season searching for love on national TV only to say none of the women were right for him, and still be beloved by so many. The fangirls were going to eat this up.

"Actually, that was all me. Just wanted to see how quickly I could drive you crazy." Ruby's face flashed with a bit of surprise before she composed herself and gave him a smile of her own that made her look like the cat who caught the canary.

"In your dreams, pretty boy." Emma watched as Graham's own cockiness diluted a bit, he'd fallen right into one of Ruby's oldest, and most consistent traps. Now the man hardly knew if she was flirting, or waging war. It was hilarious to watch and would play so well on TV this week. "Now, leaving Graham's love of letters behind, this week brings us a standard from one our judge's kitchens. _Chocolate Curse Croissants_ from Miss Regina Mills."

Belle raised her hand with a question, surprising Ruby.

"Yes Belle?"

"What about it is a curse?" Ruby looked to Regina, who stood with the others and the judge gave a smile.

"You can't have just one, and they wreak havoc on your figure." The whole tent laughed at the claim before the bakers set to work on the pastry before them.

Emma knew that croissants were incredibly easy to mess up, so she kept focused, drowning out the sound around her by lightly humming to some music in her head. Unsurprisingly, the music turned to love songs, and when she realized the transition, it had her looking over to Killian who was already staring at her. When she caught him, she watched the most adorable little flush cross his cheeks, a hint of embarrassment at having been caught. It made him all the more endearing and she wanted to just forget about the bake and go home for the day, even if that wasn't an option.

"I'm really glad it all worked out, Emma." Emma turned to find Tink standing beside her, a genuine smile on the petite woman's face. "With you and Killian and Liam I mean. I'm happy that you guys don't have to hide anymore."

"Me too. You know, that's in many ways thanks to you." Tink adjusted her glasses and shook her head.

"I didn't –," Tink tried to deny her involvement, but Emma wouldn't let her.

"Oh yeah you did, Tink. But we can pretend you didn't if it makes you uncomfortable." Tink gave another smile, clearly relieved not to talk about herself within the confines of the tent. "I was going to ask you after filming, but I was wondering if you wanted to come to girls night with Mary Margaret, Belle, Ruby, and me."

"That sounds really nice actually," the smaller woman said and Emma was surprised but delighted that Tink had accepted so easily, though they couldn't do much more than share a time and place since it was soon Emma's turn once more to explain her strategy for chocolate croissants.

The afternoon passed in a relatively pleasing way. There were no more outbursts or moments of tension. Emma even came in first in the technical round. The only real bummer for the day was that Belle had once again suffered from a lack luster bake. Her friend wasn't upset by it though. If anything, she shared the same relief that David had the week before.

All through the girl's night that came hours later, Belle spoke of her desire to have her weekends back once more, a want they were all familiar with. When Mary Margaret asked what she would do with those weekends, they all discovered that Belle was actually already working on a novel as Emma had hoped she would. Whenever it was ready, Emma knew it would be fantastic, and Belle had told them all they could have dibs on reading it first. Through the evening, they toasted to their new friendship with Tink, and the new chances in Belle's life, but though Emma had a wonderful time, part of her couldn't wait to get home so she could see Killian once more.

…

"You didn't have to come pick me up," Emma said as she and Killian walked into the house together hand in hand. Closing the front door behind him, Killian smiled at her, clearly amused by the slight bit of tipsiness she'd acquired from wine night.

"I wanted to. Making sure you're safe is a top priority, love."

Emma smiled, moving her hands to his chest ready to strip him of his jacket. She'd been thinking nearly all day about what she'd like to do to her hot, adoring boyfriend when they were finally alone again, and all that time had given her some creative possibilities to explore. While Killian allowed the jacket removal, he stopped her hands when she went for his shirt, causing Emma to pout a bit.

"Trust me love, we'll get to that part later, but when we do, I want you sober and able to feel _everything_ I give you."

The shiver that coursed through her at the promise and the raw sex appeal in his voice was powerful. Emma doubted she could be more in tuned with her feelings but she also didn't hate the idea of waiting if it meant the satisfaction would be that much richer later.

"Alright then, what's the plan?" She asked and Killian pulled her into the kitchen. There before her was a spread of… wait, was that breakfast food?

"Killian, what is all this?" Emma asked as he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her front, and pulling her close before filling her in.

"All day long under that blasted tent, I thought of how badly I want normal weekend breakfasts with you. We won't have that chance for a few weeks yet, I'm afraid, seeing as you're so exceptionally talented, so I'm making amends. Enough breakfast to keep us sated for a while at least."

Emma felt tears sting at her eyes. This was such an incredibly thoughtful gesture, a real over the top breakfast made for her by the man she loved who loved her in return. Emma couldn't comprehend it, but she knew it was one of the most beautiful gifts she had ever been given. He brought her to the table, opting to have her sit perched on his lap over giving her own chair. It was such a domestic display, and made Emma feel like she was living one of those romantic stories Belle was such a fan of, only this was so much better than any words on a page ever could be. As they chose from the spread before them composed of Emma's favorite breakfast foods (fruits, pancakes, waffles, omelets and a dozen donuts from Granny's), Killian asked about her night out with her friends, and Emma was eager to tell him everything, especially when it came to Tink.

"She and Liam kissed a few months before Liam got the offer to head this show up. Tink's been in love with him for a while now, and one thing led to another…"

"But they just left it at that? I find it hard to believe my brother, who is obviously just as taken with her, was content with that."

Emma noticed the way Killian's hand stayed firmly above her hip, as if keeping her in place, unconsciously worried that he might lose his chance at love as his brother had. His thumb moved back and forth though, finding a patch of bare skin just under her shirt. It wasn't helping to stop the craving she had for him, so she had to distract herself, continuing to talk about what she'd learned while she ate the food he'd worked so hard on.

"She got scared. She doesn't see that he wants more than a fling," Emma confirmed and Killian scoffed at that.

"Love will blind you, I guess." Emma nodded knowing he was right.

"You're brother apparently has a bit of a reputation, and to protect herself she told him it was a mistake. Saying those words has become a huge regret for her, and to live with it she's dug herself into a state of denial that gives past me a run for my money."

Killian pressed a kiss to Emma's temple at the mention of her past, prompting Emma to close her eyes and take a deep breath. He was so sweet with her and yet also so commanding. They fit together so perfectly, and it went unspoken but not unfelt that the only reason she'd been able to get over her past hang ups was because she'd had a man like Killian to put her trust in.

"And now? What state does current Emma live in?"

Emma turned to face him, losing herself in how intensely he watched her. He was searching for confirmation, trying to convince himself that she was just as head over heels as he was. Lucky for both of them she was.

"She lives with her incredibly sweet and problematically sexy boyfriend, eating breakfast at midnight and marveling at how much she loves him and her life." Emma ran her hand across his chest again, tracing at the v of his t-shirt. "She's also sober, and _really_ wants said sexy boyfriend to take her to bed."

"As you wish."

With all the flourish and coordination she'd come to expect from Killian, they left the remaining spread behind them, finding themselves right where Emma wanted to be most in no time. There was nothing slow or tantalizing about this, any thoughts of a languid seduction were over now. All day and all night they'd been skirting around what they both wanted most, physical affirmation that they belonged together. No one could argue with the chemistry zinging between them, and as more and more of their clothes were stripped away, Killian and Emma sought to touch, to kiss, to feel as much of the other as they could. Despite their proximity to a huge, lush bed, Killian pressed Emma against the wall, when they had nothing left between them.

"Do you know what it's like to watch you all day long, Emma, knowing that you're mine and not being able to take you how I want, to please you how I want?"

She moaned as one of his hands trailed its way down to her sex, forcing her legs wider before he honed in on her clit. He peppered kisses on her neck, sucking and biting in between words, and all Emma could do was claw at him for closeness, silently begging him for more.

"Yes!" She practically yelled the word a whole octave higher than her normal voice, feeling the pressure of one and then another finger as it pumped inside her, rhythmically working as his thumb left delicious swirls just how she liked.

"I'm not sure you do, love. I'm not sure you war with yourself constantly as I do. I see you mixing together ingredients, the light catching your hair, that little smile you get when lost in your world reaching into those beautiful eyes, and I think of all the nights I come home to see you doing that here and how you so willingly share that happiness with me. Under that tent, you're untouchable, but Gods what I'd give to touch you, to take you." Leave it to Killian to mix sweetness with a burning inferno of desire.

"So take me now," Emma pleaded and Killian growled at her pulse point before coming back to look her in the eyes.

"Soon, love. First I want to watch you fall apart… twice."

Emma was more than happy to oblige him, embracing the sensation of being on fire with lust as her orgasm built and then snapped inside her. She expected him to continue his ministrations on the wall, but Killian had different ideas, bringing her to the bed to bring her to even more pleasure with his mouth. Emma could hardly breathe, she was so wound up from every thing he did, trailing from her lips down to her breasts and finally down until he reached her core. It was easy for Killian to make good on his word with the skills he had, but as soon as he did, Emma changed the dynamic between them. He'd given her what she'd needed all day, now it was his turn.

"You have it all wrong you know," Emma said as she moved above him on the bed, straddling his legs, taking his waiting length in hand and pumping slowly. "I think about this just as much as you do. That smile on my face, the light in my eyes, the happy aura you see, is because of you. I would never have been able to have that, that safety in a room full of people, without you."

Killian's eyes had grown dark, lust taking over nearly completely, and Emma took advantage of that, releasing him with her hand and lining her own aching entrance up with him before setting a demanding pace designed to have him feeling every bit of explosive pleasure as she had. They went on like that, mindless on the quest for pleasure, until eventually he spoke again.

"You have all of me, Emma. You're everything."

Everything about Killian was a turn on, but those words, that promise, it was the last thing Emma needed to spiral into bliss once more, this time pulling him with her. In the aftermath, the world was quiet, peaceful, and nothing filled the space between but their ragged breathing as they came back down to earth.

Lying beside him, knowing that in the morning she'd wake up to this same glorious feeling in his embrace and would come home to this again tomorrow and every day thereafter made Emma smile. Killian didn't miss it, his thumb coming up to trace the upward tilt of her lips. Without another word, they continued to lie together, both soaking up the feeling of each other's presence, until sleep finally came. The last thought to cross Emma's mind was that they were another day closer to forever, and that undeniable fact made for wonderful dreams and the restful kind of sleep that only Killian could ever seem to give her.

…

"Okay, look guys, I know you want us to do a song and dance for our ode to breakfast week, but there's a baseline of respect I have for myself which simply will not allow it. Please, just have mercy and throw me some terrible puns."

Emma had to hand it to Ruby, her friend was a terrific actress, and after all of this, if she wanted, Emma was sure she could get another job in television based on her dramatic flare. It was this silly sort of theater that allowed all of the contestants to keep their cool in the weekend's final challenge.

In typical _Baking Show_ style, the challenge for the final day was tricky, even if the contestants had all week to work on it. Today, they were expected to create a perfect dozen of New York-style bagels. The flavors could be whatever they wanted, but the key would be uniformity and perfecting the process.

Emma had done her homework. In order to be _'truly New York'_ and not like the bagels they had locally in Maine, the bagels would be boiled and she would use malt sugar and syrup to create the proper sort of encasing. Both Emma and Killian had tried multiple times to make heads or tails of the process this week, and they'd both gotten it right all of one time. She had to hope that today would be a mark in the win category instead of another loss.

For her book-themed creation, Emma opted to step away from the classics, and instead move to a book she'd read recently. Her _Brie Before Bleu_ _Cheese_ bagels brought together two types of creamy, melted goodness, traditional brie, and a mild variation on bleu called cambozola. It was a riskier bake, but Emma had supplemented the cheeses with some lighter herbs and she knew that if she got them right, they would be a hit.

"I can't tell if my tears are from how good those smell, or how emotional that book was," Ruby said as Emma pulled her bagels out. Emma was flattered by the compliment, but very aware that Tiana's sweet chocolate chip nutella bagels would really give her a run for her money this week.

Emma wasn't threatened of the competition, actually she enjoyed the fact that there was a consistent opponent who performed just as well as Emma did. David was right; realistically it would come down to her and the other young woman in the finals. While Tiana didn't interact with the other contestants very much, having her own friends in town who hadn't been interested in joining the competition, Emma knew her to be polite and a good sport. Tiana simply had great aspirations, ones that winning this show would help her finally reach. Emma didn't fault her for working so hard to achieve her dreams, and she actually appreciated that she was never unkind in her attempts to win like many people might have been. Tiana had a lot of class, and Emma was certain, whatever the outcome in a few weeks time, Tiana would get everything that she wanted someday.

"Maybe it's relief that you didn't have to put on your tap shoes and sing us the lyrics to a song about muffins."

"Fair point. _Very_ fair point."

Ruby continued to ask Emma about her bagels, the conversation flowing naturally as Emma set up her display with just the right cream cheese and the design she wanted. Of course she had extras cut up in small bites for Ruby and Graham and the crew. The cameramen got a pretty great shot of a failed attempt at subtlety from Graham which Emma knew would likely make the cut for this week as well, and in those happy moments, she'd forgotten any fear she had about presenting to the judges. That lack of worry only helped her in the end, seeing her through to reach her desired tier of star baker. Unlike last week though, Emma was required to do an exit interview, this week with Liam while Tink handled Belle's final goodbye after being cut.

"So, another week, another star baker title. Does it feel good to hold the record for most best bakes in a season?" Emma smiled.

"Yes and no. I am honored that the judges have liked my work enough to award me the week's win so many times, but also, there's no previous seasons to compare to. Maybe in a couple years, when you guys have a few seasons under your belt, it will be more impressive to have this many wins."

Liam cordially went through the rest of his questions, barely fishing for anything past her feelings on the bakes. It was Emma in fact who brought Killian into the conversation.

"Do you have any words of wisdom for our audience at home who love to bake as well?"

"Yes. Find a partner, whether it's a friend, a family member, a significant other or whoever, who isn't afraid to be honest about what they think. There's no way I would be doing this well or feeling this confident if I didn't have pure honesty from Killian when I make him try everything first."

Liam's eyes lit up at the claim, happy on two counts, for he could see Emma and Killian were happy, but he now also had something to make the network ease off his change in direction for the show. That happiness was undercut though by the sound of Tink's laughter on the other side of the tent. No doubt Belle had made a funny comment about her departure, but Liam's gaze left Emma's and turned into a longing look in the other woman's direction. While Liam looked away, Emma motioned for the cameraman to avert the lens and shut off her microphone.

"She needs to know you're serious," Emma whispered and Liam looked back at Emma confused but sincere.

"I am serious. I had it out with the executives, I've changed the direction of the narrative, I –,"

"No, she needs to know you're serious about _her_." Liam looked a bit embarrassed at that, glancing at the other PA behind the camera, a guy named Gus, who typically wasn't very outspoken.

"Well she's not wrong, man," Gus noted and Liam ran a hand through his hair at Gus' comment, not unlike Killian when he was flustered. Then he finally turned back to Emma seeking advice.

"How do I do that?"

"Show her. Girls love a grand gesture… just don't do it anywhere near this tent."

Gus laughed at that, and Liam managed to crack a smile, excusing himself and leaving Emma with her interview clearly over. She hoped that Liam would be brave enough to find a way to talk to Tink, but in the end it was up to them. For now, Emma was more than content to return to Killian who was ready with a teasing greeting and a kiss on the cheek.

"Saw my brother moving like a bat out of hell from your interview. Would have liked to hear what you said to cause that reaction." Emma smiled, walking with Killian hand in hand away from the tent and back into the real world.

"I told him to take a page form your book and go for it." Killian lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles gently.

"I hope that he will, love, and if he's half as happy as I am, he'll be glad for it."

 _They both will be,_ Emma thought to herself, hoping she was right.

 **Post-Note: Another week, another chapter for me to fill with dream baked goods, bad jokes, and cute CS moments. I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter, I can't believe there are only a few more updates left, but I'll be sure to make them count. As always thanks so much for reading, and I hope you are all having a lovely week!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Here we are with chapter nine on the Great Storybrooke Baking Show. This installment we'll see Emma and Killian helping Liam and Tink get their shot at being together and celebrating their own love in the only way I know how – fluffy as all get out. It's the second to last chapter and all the big happy endings will come next week, but this chapter still has it's own unique brand of cuteness. Hope you guys enjoy, and thank you for reading!**_

Friday nights had become largely solitary affairs for Killian and Emma in the past few months. It was the last night of sanity they had before things picked up again with the competition, and both Emma and Killian had an unspoken agreement that they preferred to spend the time together. This week though, that plan had largely gone to shit, and all in the name of securing true love.

After Emma had told Liam that he needed to find a way to make things up to Tink, Killian's brother had searched for days for the right way to let the woman know of his feelings for her. Finally, he'd managed to stumble upon a viable idea earlier in the week.

" _It'll be perfect!"_ Liam had said when he came to dinner with Emma and Killian. _"But I'll be needing just a bit more help..."_

Emma probably shouldn't have been surprised when the main person needed for such assistance was herself, but any thoughts she'd had of turning Liam down were completely eradicated when she heard his idea. It was really incredibly sweet, and to Emma's estimation, might actually be impossible for Tink not to love.

Emma's role to play this evening was one of friendly liaison and distracter. So far, her job had gone seamlessly. She had invited Tink to a showing of _You've Got Mail (_ one of Tink's favorite movies) that was screening at the local theater in town, and was on her way to meet her completely unsuspecting friend now. Emma couldn't help but think that it really had to be her to help this way. None of her friends, not Mary Margaret, Ruby, or Belle could have ever pulled this kind of con off. They'd have given something away, but not Emma. No, if Tink's excited but still at ease manner when she came inside the theater was anything to go off of, she was completely oblivious.

"Emma! Thanks so much for calling, I love this movie," the smaller woman professed and Emma smiled.

"Me too. It's always been one of my favorites. Shall we?"

The two of them moved from the ticket bay to grab snacks and drinks, even though Emma realized that very little if any of this would be consumed. She happily chatted with Tink while her friend went on and on about how much better work had been this week, and how things were really changing. But just as they were about to walk into the theater, Tink stopped, looking at Emma with sincerity.

"Do you think it's possible that Liam's been making the changes he has for me?" Emma was just about to respond that of course she did when Tink continued on, her words coming faster, meaning Emma had to strain to hear them. "Or is that like incredibly big headed of me to think that I would be the person who could change a guy like that? There's no reason to think that I would be. I mean he's kind of a player and he doesn't do serious and-,"

Emma placed her hand on Tink's arm, trying to calm her and help pull her from the mire of her worrying.

"I think the best thing you can do is keep an open mind, and maybe, if he shows you that you can really trust him, an open heart. Until then, let's go see this movie." Tink smiled and nodded, allowing Emma to lead them into the screening room.

"Wow, there's no one here. I would have thought this would kind of be a big draw. I mean it's a classic."

Emma bit her lip, trying to keep from smiling. Instead she shrugged and found them their seats right in the middle of the theater, so they'd have a perfect view. There was still some time before the movie was technically supposed to start, but the house lights went down and the screen crackled to life in front of them.

"That's weird," Tink said aloud, but when she saw what video was actually playing she gasped. This was the moment. Liam's grand gesture was here.

 _Damn he really outdid himself,_ Emma thought as she watched the surprisingly high quality cut of images together. It was a video, one Emma knew was roughly five or six minutes long, of Tink and Liam through the years they'd known each other. Thanks to a bevy of backlogged film that was taken on varying sets they'd worked on together, Liam had managed to make a master cut of moments for the two of them that were interspersed with personal videos and pictures that other members of the crew happened to have. All the while Tink sat beside her, completely silent, her hand covering her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. Emma hoped that her staying meant they were happy ones.

Eventually Liam's face came on the screen and it was a strange moment for Emma, to see the man who was almost always behind the camera before one giving his own sort of testimonial. He didn't look particularly comfortable, but there was no doubting his sincerity.

"Listen, Tink, I know I've been a fool, worse than that I've been blinded to the only thing that actually matters. The truth is I love you. I think I always have, and I know I've made the biggest mess of things, but if you'll forgive me, I'd like to ask the chance to try again, to do things right this time."

Emma heard Tink's muffled cry escape at that, and Emma reached out to take her hand which Tink squeezed tight, her eyes never wavering from the screen in front of them.

"If you think that maybe you could forgive me, Emma will tell you where I am so you can find me. I hope that you will, love, because I will never make the same mistake again. You have my word on that."

" _You should say it again."_ Emma could hear Killian's voice in the background of the testimonial and watched as Liam ran a hand through his hair nodding.

"Right, my brother makes a good point. Just to clarify, I am in love with you and I want to be with you more than anything else."

" _That's your send off? No 'good bye' or 'I promise we can watch your favorite movie that I've somewhat tricked you into thinking you could see, a thousand times?'_ " Liam shook his head.

"No, just I love you. The rest was a given." With that the screen went black and a beat passed where Emma waited for Tink's response.

"He did this for me?" Emma smiled at her friend, whose face though tear stricken, was so filled with hope it warmed her heart.

"Yeah, he did." Tink smiled, a laugh bubbling out from her as she stood, wiping away her tears.

"Where is he, Emma?"

Emma told her that he was waiting at Granny's and Tink gave her a quick hug before rushing out the door, presumably into the night to find her man. At the same moment that the door closed behind Tink, Emma felt strong arms wrap around her waist and Killian's voice whisper in her ear.

"Well come on, Swan, there's no time to waste if we want to see the ending." Rushing just behind Tink, Emma and Killian managed to get out and to the diner right in time to see the moment where Tink and Liam locked eyes.

Waiting for them at the window outside of Granny's were Mary Margaret, David, Belle, and Ruby along with lots of the other crewmembers from the show. None of this unofficial crowd could hear the words the couple shared, but Emma could see they were both truly happy with whatever passed between them. When Liam and Tink finally shared a kiss, a round of cheers broke out along the street outside. Tink ducked her head in a bit of embarrassment but even through the windows they could hear Liam.

"Get lost!" They all dispersed, a cloud of happiness for her friend clinging to Emma as she and Killian walked back home together, his arm slung around her, holding her close.

"You did good, love," Killian whispered as he kissed her temple when they reached the front porch of their house.

"So did you," Emma replied, pulling him closer by the collar of his jacket.

"I think we've earned ourselves quite the reward for all of our hard work." Emma licked her lips at the thought and the undeniable innuendo in his voice.

"What did you have in mind?"

Killian's mischievous grin should have been enough warning, but she didn't see his next move coming, which was to sweep her up in his arms and get them inside to their bedroom with more coordination than she herself could have ever mustered.

"Oh so that's how it is?" Emma asked purposely baiting him, as if this wasn't what she wanted too.

"That's exactly how it is, Swan."

From there, words were harder to find, for Emma was pretty consumed with Killian stripping every last piece of clothing off of her and her own need to strip everything off of him. His hands running across her skin had her already growing desire sharply spiking, and Emma arched against him trying to get this slow perusal sped up a bit.

"If it's really a reward you won't tease me," Emma argued and Killian seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, but ultimately caved to her logic.

"Perhaps a negotiation then, love. I'll give you what you want now, if you surrender to my desires later." This wasn't a negotiation as all; this was Emma getting exactly what she wanted.

"Deal."

The word had no sooner left her lips than Killian was boxing her in against the wall, the hardness of his body molding along hers. She expected him to take her then, but he had another idea, kneeling down before her and angling her body so he had access to her aching sex.

" _Christ_ , Emma, you're already ready for me."

She nodded, seeking a way to hang on to him as her fingers dug into his shoulders. His mouth was on her in a moment's time and the way he took her with his tongue, half fucking and half minding her clit brought her ecstasy. He devoured her, and hell if she didn't love every second of it. Finally with his fingers, he brought her to completion, but he was hardly done with her. Standing once more, he simultaneously held her up and silently praised her body with roaming hands.

Before she could say anything about how good it was, or how much she loved him, Killian lifted her up, urging her to wrap her legs around him and with a solid thrust set Emma crazy. From this angle, she felt so open to him, so sensitive to every move he made, it was indescribable. The feeling that they were made for each other, and that the two of them together were the most perfect thing in the world washed over her as he continued to move inside her. Where he'd promised hard and fast, Killian certainly delivered, driving them both to their release so much sooner than Emma had even thought possible given how strongly she'd just come from his mouth. Then again, there was something about crazy romantic moments that Killian played a part in that always had her feeling this way.

Resting their foreheads against each other as they caught their breath, Emma smiled, loving that they had helped two other people get their shot at having what she and Killian had together. She was in love with a man with a beautiful heart, who knew exactly how to love her, and that was the most incredible gift. She hadn't noticed there were tears in her eyes until Killian pulled back and kissed her gently.

"Everything all right, love?" She nodded.

"Yeah, everything's perfect."

…

The next afternoon while under the baking tent once more, Emma berated herself for not being a bit more suspicious when the first bake of their weekend was a cute little 3D model made of cookies. In the aftermath of all of last night's adorableness, Emma hadn't been on the defensive. She'd still been riding a deliciously sappy, love-infused high that made the world seem brighter and warmer and better.

Boy had that been a mistake, because now the technical task at hand was far less accessible, and was something she didn't have nearly as much experience in. It was enough to have Emma's excitement for Liam and Tink wilting a bit since they were the ones throwing said toughness her way.

"Bakers, today's challenge is one of Regina's most famous recipes. This dark chocolate dome dessert not only requires the perfect bake of the interior soufflé, but a mastery of chocolate working. It's up to you, our contestants to decide how you'd most like to address that challenge since this week, we've given you no instructions."

Graham's statement for once didn't carry the weight of what actually needed to happen right now. Now was the time to be dramatic because he wasn't kidding, there was no real description on the most critical part of the bake, creating the chocolate dome. Even after the buzzer had sounded to begin, Emma stood there for a minute just contemplating what the heck she should do now. The soufflé itself needed pretty limited cooking, and Emma was certain she could handle that, as she had some experience with it, but her biggest question was what to do with the chocolate. In the end she followed her instincts, which brought her towards the tempering process.

"Can't say I'm surprised that you're the first baker starting the process," Ruby said cordially as she sidled up to Emma. Emma exhaled the breath she'd been unconsciously holding and attempted a smile to her friend.

"Don't take my momentum as a sign that I have any idea what I'm doing." Ruby laughed lightly before putting her arm around Emma's shoulder.

"Well, I'm sure you have some idea," Ruby offered and Emma could only shrug.

"Let me rephrase – don't take it as a sign that I'm moving in the right direction. I've never made chocolate stand up like this before."

Ruby nodded her understanding, shifting her attention instead to how she'd make the chocolate at all, and Emma went through the melting process and then her plan to do a rapid cool down after. It might not look as shiny or pristine as Regina's did, but Emma didn't have any other idea about how the chocolate would stay without the assistance of the cold.

"At least it's not a Gold challenge," Emma added. "Because he'd probably take this delicate work of art and insist on gold dust and a higher tower."

The laugh that pulled not just from Ruby but from the camera crew trained on her made Emma feel better, and with a glance over to Killian who was smiling at her words and giving her a look that said she could do this, Emma felt herself steady. For better or worse, she would complete the challenge, and she would just hope that she'd be deemed good enough to get to next week's final.

The time they had to complete the challenge ran down quickly, and as soon as Ruby left, Emma was immersed in the thick of trying out her chocolate domes. It would be one thing to only have to present one of these little creations, but each baker needed six at the end of the day's bake and they were all supposed to be identical.

"Damn this is hard!" Mary Margaret practically yelled out at one point, only to gain a chorus of agreement from Emma, Tiana and Killian. At least she wasn't alone in her frustration with this challenge. None of them had much time to linger on the complications though, for soon enough, time was up, and the judges were returning to the tent.

All three judges looked at the anonymously submitted displays, going down the line of four selections with critical eyes. No one had made a flawless bake, not even Tiana, who Emma had been amazed by with her chocolate work. Unfortunately, her soufflé was slightly over baked, but she did receive high praise from Regina on the quality of her dome. Emma had the opposite problem, with a great soufflé but chocolate that wasn't shiny enough, while Mary Margaret and Killian had both presented less than stellar bakes. Mary Margaret out edged Killian slightly though, for one of Killian's domes had wilted considerably and he was docked for lack of uniformity.

"Can you imagine if they'd had that challenge when there were more of us?" Mary Margaret said later, as all four contestants were taking off their microphones and retiring for the day. "It would have been a horror show. I can't even imagine David's attempt." Killian laughed at that.

"Forget Dave, love. Picture Leroy or Lance having to face such a task." They all laughed at that before Emma and Killian bid the others farewell until tomorrow. The two walked hand in hand from the tent back home.

"I guess it was naïve to think that it would all be smooth sailing. The rest of my life is just going so well, I thought this would be the same." Killian brought Emma's hand up to his lips and kissed it lightly.

"You'll forgive me if I find comfort in your words, love. My only real concern in life is seeing you happy, and if things are going well aside from this competition, I'll feel very blessed."

Emma stopped, pulling him towards her for a demanding kiss, not caring that at this point they were in the middle of a busy sidewalk. She wanted to make sure that he hadn't taken her words as complaining, because she absolutely agreed, the most important thing was them. There was absolutely no questioning that fact.

"That clear up whether I'm happy with us or not?" Emma asked as she pulled back slightly from the kiss, reveling in Killian's dazed look and still lust-filled gaze.

"Just a couple more points I want to clarify, though those are probably best studied with

a bit more privacy." A delicious shiver moved down Emma's spine at Killian's heated promise.

"So take me home then." Emma couldn't imagine how they managed to get back to the house so quickly, but once there, she decided to take a different approach to the rest of their evening. When Killian's hands came around her body, and his lips bent down for another kiss, Emma stopped him. "Do you trust me?"

"Without any doubts or stipulations, love." Emma smiled before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Then humor me with this next part. I have an idea on how we should spend the evening."

Leading him to the kitchen, Emma surprised her sexy as sin boyfriend by insisting he sit while she make dinner. He didn't argue, but did inform her that it wasn't necessary. She must be tired after all the happenings of the day, but she wasn't. That was the beautiful part of being with Killian, he breathed a new sense of energy and life into her. With said energy, she made them one of the dishes Emma knew Killian liked best, three-cheese risotto with grilled chicken and greens.

At some point in her efforts, Killian flipped on some music and seemed to know exactly when she could take a breather from the cooking portion of the evening.

"Care for a dance, Swan?"

Emma smiled and silently accepted, stepping into his arms as the song he'd chosen swam through the speakers. She had about four minutes before she'd have to do something else, just enough time for a song together. Her hands came around his neck, and her fingers intertwined with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Damn, I should get thrown off of baking shows every week if this is what I can expect." Emma rolled her eyes.

"We have all of tomorrow, you could come back from today." Killian shook his head.

"No, I've had quite enough of this. I've no intention of going to the finals in any capacity but Emma Swan's biggest cheerleader." Emma couldn't keep the smile from her lips at his words.

"You're kind of problematically sweet. Have I told you that recently?" Emma watched as Killian's eyes filled with heat, and in an instant she realized the error of her words. "And like crazy hot, undeniably hot."

"That's a good girl."

Emma gulped audibly as Killan's hands moved to trace the line where her shirt met pants and moved beneath to touch bare skin. His mouth refocused on her neck, bestowing strategically placed kisses designed to drive her crazy. It wasn't lost on her that after begging him for instant gratification yesterday she was the one who'd now ask for them to slow things down.

"Killian, _dinner_!" The last word was squeaked out as he pulled her earlobe into his mouth and nipped lightly. She felt him growl against her but pull back all the same.

"We'll be picking up here as soon as it's done, love." Damn, she certainly hoped so.

…

What made the town they all lived in so wonderful? That was the motivating question Emma held onto as she worked to complete the weekend's last event. Their showstopper in this semifinal round was a three-tiered birthday cake for the town of Storybrooke, which this year was celebrating it's 325th birthday. There were so many different things to choose from, but mostly, Emma knew that the best part about this town was the people. She'd thought it foolish to try and design a cake that had the faces of the hundreds of residents this seaside community was home to, so instead she'd gone for events that mattered most here.

Every year the town held big celebrations for a whole host of things. Some holidays were those that every run of the mill American town heralded, like the fourth of July and Memorial Day, while others were Storybrooke originals. Their founder's festival, for instance, celebrated the settlers who'd made their way here first and discovered the coast's rich abundance of resources. To celebrate nearly everyone in town got dressed up in colonial garb and pretended at least for a day that they lived in the same time as their town's founders. Meanwhile each spring the library made a big spectacle celebrating all sorts of stories. It was a great excuse for kids to essentially have second Halloween, and adults to join in on the fun dressed as their favorite characters from books. These events and more were included on Emma's Storybrooke cake, along with immaculate stenciling and design that brought everything together.

"Damn, Emma, you've really outdone yourself this time. That's some final's worthy detail there."

Emma looked up from where she was adding her fondant pieces to her already frosted cake and smiled at both Graham and Ruby who were gazing upon what she'd made with fascination.

"It does look pretty good, doesn't it?" Emma took a step back and admired her handy work. It was kind of a shame that this was being made for TV and not to be consumed by the town. "Wait a second."

Emma held up a finger to Graham and Ruby and moved from behind her section over to where Liam and Tink were more flirting than working at one of the other prompters trained on Killian.

"Hey love birds, what's the plan for these cakes?" Liam and Tink looked between each other and then back to Emma.

"Same as always, split it all up amongst ourselves and throw the rest away," Liam replied.

"What would you say to the town actually getting to celebrate with us?" Emma asked and Liam looked at Emma quizzically.

"What did you have in mind?" Emma told them her plan, which was that after filming wrapped, they could transport the cakes over to Granny's where way more people could appreciate the art and the cakes themselves.

"No offense, it's just these cakes are going to mean so much more to the town than it will to you guys. They should see the town how we see it, and it would be a nice way for you guys to thank everyone for their acceptance and patience during filming."

"You're absolutely right. I can get on planning that all out right now, if I just have the boss' go ahead," Tink replied.

There was absolutely no question now that Tink was on board that Liam would be too, but they deferred to him all the same. When he gave the quick nod of approval, Emma returned to her station and told the other contestants the news. When she'd returned to focusing on her own cake, Emma felt Killian come up to stand beside her.

"That was very good of you, Emma, to think of the town like that." She looked into his blue eyes and smiled, happy to have even a brief interlude with him like this.

"Well it's our home, and these are our neighbors. It only seems right." Not giving a damn about the cameras Killian moved closer, kissing her fiercely before he finally pulled back, whispering in her ear.

"Apologies love, my control slips away when you say things like that." Emma knew what he meant, that her bringing them together and calling things _'ours'_ was meaningful to him. It was big to her too.

"I know you tried your very hardest to resist my charms," Emma teased. Shaking his head while he smiled at her, Killian replied.

"A battle not easily won I assure you. I love you, Emma."

"I love you too."

With that, Killian returned to his own cake, and the rest of the day slipped by in a flurry of movement and making sure the crew had the right shots for another week's episode. The judges came in, speaking their peace and in the end, Killian was relieved of his time on the show while Tiana won star baker.

Despite what others might construe as a painful day, Emma couldn't tamper down her smile all through the rest of the evening and into the night. This show, this crazy little competition had become so much more than that. It was a vehicle that brought her new friends and new experiences. It had shown her that she actually was a skilled baker, who could rise to the challenges that industry professionals set forth. And most importantly, it had brought her to love. Whatever happened next week, Killian was the only prize that mattered in Emma's book, and luckily for her, his heart was already won.

 _ **Post-Note: I hope that you guys enjoyed, and that you're all doing well with the hiatus ending tonight. I feel like we've been waiting forever to get this show back and finally the time is now! Let's just hope we get something great for all our waiting. Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I hope you are having a good start to your week!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: I cannot believe the ending of 'Just a Taste' is here, but this story was definitely fun to explore and to develop. It's easily one of my favorite AUs I ever dabbled in and that's only compounded by the fact that the Great British Baking Show put two more seasons on Netflix! I'm sending it off exactly how you would all expect, lots of fluff, a little smut, and a happily ever after worthy of my CS babies. I hope you all enjoy!**_

"Okay _this_ is pretty freaking cool." Mary Margaret's words in the face of their surroundings were an understatement.

The production team had really outdone themselves for this last day of competition and the entire feel under the white tent was different. To ring in the final day of shooting, Liam and the crew had created a huge carnival that the entire town was invited to attend. The showing was amazing, hundreds of people had come out in support of Emma, Mary Margaret, and Tiana on their last day, and everyone was all smiles and laughter.

After yesterday, a day that had felt pretty empty to Emma and the others (since it was just the three of them left), this was a welcome change. To have so many people here enjoying the abnormally mild November day outside was wonderful, and it took some of the edge off of this final challenge. They were nearly done with their bakes, but Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous of the people who had already gone home. All of the original contestants were here, and while the three finalists were slaving away over the final details of their bakes, the others were enjoying a beautiful picnic and an all together relaxing Sunday.

Emma had always expected this final challenge to be in the form of a cake, something big and complex and demonstrative of each contestant's full range of abilities. That they had just made their Storybrooke birthday cakes last week didn't matter, she was sure that they would be wanting more, but she'd been wrong, at least in part. To continue with the Americanization of the show, and to incorporate the ever-present trend towards cupcakes, the judges had decided that the final challenge should be a mammoth undertaking to help fuel the festival around them – a true cupcake tower, with four separate varieties. The bakers were then expected to make two-dozen of each flavor and though given an extra hour to do this, were expected to have each cupcake tasting great and looking exactly the same.

After a lot of deliberation on her part, and in conjunction with Mary Margaret, Emma had decided to elevate the simplest of flavors to the next level. Her intention was to create a great tasting and beautiful bake, but she realized that this choice might harm her when it came down to judging. Gold, Regina, and Granny might criticize her for going too safe with these three flavors (molten milk chocolate, vanilla bean and honey, lemon meringue, and raspberry swirl), but she knew that the guests at their festival would love them and that they'd look good for the cameras.

In all honesty, Mary Margaret and Emma had already chosen this route together. It wasn't that they believed Tiana couldn't win under the weight of their full participation, but they worried that it might make a better story for Emma to win. By Emma taking a step back (as well as Mary Margaret just to be safe) they would allow this bright young woman with big dreams the chance to make her name. There was no reason for her not to win simply because she hadn't found love on the show, and both Emma and Mary Margaret had won enough from this competition already. Neither of them had plans to take their baking past the privacy of their own homes ever again and a win on either of their parts would be a waste.

"I think we might have missed a lot of opportunities at great nicknames for you this year, Emma." The words from Graham as he approached while Emma was frosting the last of her cupcakes made her smile.

"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?" Graham grinned.

"You're always unflappable. Cool as a cucumber in the face of every challenge. Seriously, America is wondering, how do you do it?" Emma laughed at the question.

"I have a great poker face. Maybe I look calm to you guys, but on the inside it's panic central."

That was a slight exaggeration, and one she felt she'd made before, for Emma hadn't truly stressed over a bake this season in quite a while. But it didn't sound great to say that this competition wasn't the end all be all. The last thing she wanted was to underplay what a win could mean if given to the right person.

"The results will be in, in just a matter of time. Any thoughts on who of the three of you will win?" Emma shook her head, not interested in going on camera and making such a claim.

"Not to be too corny, but I think all of us have already won in many ways. We all made it to the final round, each of us has won star baker before, and most importantly we pushed ourselves into finding awesome recipes and hard won successes. I'll be happy no matter who takes home that dish." Graham shook his head.

"It still confuses the hell out of me that all of this has been for a dish. This is America! What happened to good old fashioned cash prizes and trophies?"

"It is funny, isn't it? How they changed so much about the original show but kept the simple prize. Something to consider when they go into the next season."

Emma noticed Tink bite her lip where she was overlooking the camera crew trained on Emma, and in that moment, she realized that Graham might actually be setting up a surprise addition to whatever the winnings were. It would be interesting to see what happened, but there was no prize they could really give that would change Emma's mind on Tiana's deserving to win.

With that, Graham bid her good luck on the rest of the bake, and the clock ran down until finally all three women had created and presented their cupcakes in their individual towers that production had made to each contestants standards. Emma had designed hers to look like a big book, after her thematic tie between the weeks, Mary Margaret had opted for a modern design that was sleek and beautiful, while Tiana had gone for that extra bit of home-town charm, using a display stand that looked like a light house. All three looked great, but it was down to the judges to decide who would take home the title. In the meantime, Emma and the others were led outside to join the festivities. When they finally reached the festival the three of them were greeted by a huge round of applause from their friends and neighbors.

"So, is it all going according to plan, love?" Killian whispered in Emma's ear as she came to hug him. She laughed into his chest and shrugged when she pulled back.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see. How are things going out here?"

"Leroy's been drunk all morning, but the soup station is top notch." David's commentary made Emma smile just as Killian's reply did.

"Dave's a bit overexcited about the soup really. He's already dragged me there three separate times and told me all about what makes a soup verses a stew." Dave looked a little cross at Killian's lack of enthusiasm.

"Hey! I was sharing some great insight with you, man." Mary Margaret kissed David lightly before chastising him a bit.

"Soup is a pretty universal thing, David. I'm sure Killian's run into it before."

"Indeed I have love. But I will admit, it is rather good."

Emma eagerly anticipated getting the chance to go try some, and to relax a little at the fair but the judges were already back, the decision seemingly made, and things were being set up for the big reveal outside.

"I just want to say, before we announce the winner, that you should all be so proud. Each of you has come to this tent every weekend and shown us not only how capable you are, but that passion and love in baking adds all the more richness to any bake."

Regina's words were unexpectedly kind, but Emma wasn't too surprised. In the past week she'd seen the woman with Robin more than once, and had been informed that despite their vastly different lives, the two would be trying to make their relationship work post-Storybrooke production. It didn't escape Emma's notice that Regina looked over to Robin more than once while out here thus far either.

"You've all done Storybrooke proud, girls. This town is very lucky to have you all representing us as you have." Another cheer sounded through the lawn, and Granny had tears in her eyes as she said the words. For some reason the woman's emotions made Emma a little teary too. As she stood between Mary Margaret and Tiana, she extended a hand to both women and silently congratulated them both.

"If we're quite done with the sap, let's be down to it," Gold practically snapped.

Emma didn't think for a second she was the only person to roll her eyes at Gold's brashness, but she knew it would play incredibly well. Whether he meant to or not, Gold had done an excellent job at making himself an indispensible part of the show, at least as a villain that contestants had to succeed in spite of.

"There's one last thing. We know that all season long we've had the running joke that all of this is for a dish," Ruby said from her perch near the judges. "But the truth is, all three of you will be walking away with something."

Ruby waved her arm over to the crew members who were bringing in a table with not one but three dishes, all plated in bronze, silver or gold. Emma, Mary Margaret, and Tiana all laughed.

"In third place, is Mary Margaret!"

The crowd went crazy again, congratulating her as if she was the winner herself. Mary Margaret accepted her prize dish and flowers from the judges, and then returned to the fray of the other contestants, taking her place beside David. Emma did notice however, that there was an envelope attached to Mary Margaret's dish, and wondered what could be inside. She didn't have much time to speculate though, for now it was the moment of truth.

"To declare a winner for this show has been an incredibly difficult challenge. Both of you have remained neck and neck throughout the competition, and both have proven that for amateurs, you really are experts at finding great tastes and great bakes. But there can only be one winner, and that person is… Tiana."

Emma quickly hugged the woman, who was crying tears of absolute joy, and in that moment Emma knew this was exactly as things should be. Watching Tiana receive her dish, flowers and envelope, was a heartwarming experience. When it was finally Emma's turn to retrieve her dish, she expected it to go pretty typically, but from beneath the table, Granny pulled out a medal.

"In a final twist, we are awarding what for now is being called _The_ _Great Storybrooke MVP Medal_ , to you Emma. Though you technically didn't come out on top with the judges, you ran away with the hearts of your competitors and the audience alike. Kindness and good humor should be rewarded, and so we give you this."

Emma couldn't help the big smile that came as the whole town cheered for her and Granny put on her medal. It was such a thoughtful gesture, and really the best title she could have won.

"And that's a wrap on season one of _The Great American Baking Show_! Until next time!" Emma barely heard Graham and Ruby's goodbye to the cameras, as she was quickly in the arms of Killian and being congratulated by swarms of people. It was truly overwhelming, but a great feeling nonetheless.

"Girls, open your envelopes. Trust me you want to be seeing those." Tink's words prompted Emma, Mary Margaret, and Tiana to do just that.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Tiana said, her happy tears back and bigger than ever. Tiana immediately ran off and Emma was confused.

"Regina's investing in her café. She wants to be a silent partner." Emma was blown away by Robin's words since they were so amazing. Across the lawn, she saw Tiana give the judge a huge hug, taking Regina by surprise.

"Holy wow that's incredible!" Mary Margaret said as she opened her own envelope and nearly passed out herself. Wordlessly she passed it to David, whose already prevalent smile only grew wider.

"The show is donating fifty thousand dollars to the Storybrooke school systems to help with the budget cuts to after school activities in Mary Margaret's name." Emma could feel her hands shaking, having now detected a pattern to the prizes.

"But how – why –," Emma could barely get the words out after opening her envelope. She was staring at a check just made out to her for an obscenely large amount of money, and the memo line read only _'for your happily ever after.'_

"Because you all deserve it," Liam said, coming to stand beside Tink and taking her hand in his. Before Emma could reply that it was too much, Killian had wrapped his arms around her more securely and kissed her lightly.

"No arguing, love. You've earned it." Emma shook her head.

"But we all did though. Everyone who did the show should share in this, not just the three of us."

"We agree," Liam said, and it turned out that each person received an envelope with something in it, something important to them that they wanted. Killian though, didn't receive one of these envelopes, and when Emma asked why, he shook his head at her.

"What I want isn't something that they can hand me in an envelope, love."

Emma was going to ask him what that was, but instead, allowed him to show her the festivities she had missed while baking. For the rest of the afternoon, Emma spent her time relaxing, and truly enjoying everything the day had to offer. She didn't give much more thought to prizes or titles, but instead focused solely on appreciating this time she had with the man she loved, and the friends she cared for dearly.

All around her, Emma saw how truly happy this experience had made people. Mary Margaret and David, Robin and Regina, Tink and Liam, even Ruby and Graham finally got in on the action when flirtation was supplanted by an actual kiss that everyone saw. Belle was thrilled, for her award at the end of the show was the rights to use her experience for that novel she'd been floating around in her head, and even Leroy got a tab set up for him at the local pub to drown away his sorrows for a little while. Everywhere she looked, Emma saw nothing but happiness. It was amazing that they'd all been afforded this opportunity and that it had turned out this well in the end. Despite how touch and go things had been for a while, it was all truly worth it.

"Emma, love, would you come with me, just for a minute," Killian asked a while later. "There's something I think you should see."

Emma nodded, for of course she would go with Killian anywhere. He led her back down the hill and to the big white tent. Emma knew that there was likely nothing left there, for hours ago the crew had been deconstructing the set up and packing away all of the cameras and the like, but she trusted that whatever it was Killian was bringing her to, it would be important.

Just outside the flap to the tent, Killian stopped, turning to face her. He's already been holding her hand, but now he took her second in his as well. Looking up into his face, Emma sensed love but also something else. A little trepidation maybe, but she couldn't understand why.

"Close your eyes, Swan." Despite her worry about him, Emma followed Killian's request instantly and she heard him exhale a relieved breath. Carefully he guided her into the tent making his way in further before speaking again. "Alright, love, you can look."

There, all around them was the most amazing collection of flowers Emma had ever seen. This place that Emma had come to see as ordinary was completely changed, between the beautiful blossoms, twinkling lights and a hint of music lightly playing in the background. Emma looked around, trying to take it all in, but when she looked back at Killian he was on bended knee. In an instant she understood what was happening, and the happiness she felt in her heart was beyond any she'd ever felt before.

"Emma, crazy as it is, this show brought us together. Before, I was a man afraid, but everything about you eased my worry. You are beautiful and miraculous and kind, talented beyond words, but mostly you are _good_ and I know in my heart that you are the one for me. Under this tent, we began a journey I'm hoping will last the rest of our lives because I want everything Emma, and I only want it with you. Yes it's fast, but when you love someone you just know, and I love you Emma, more than I can ever say. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

A bubble of laughter came from her chest as she nodded and promised him that yes she would and that nothing would ever make her happier. He presented her with the ring, a gorgeous diamond enveloped in a sapphire wreath, and kissed her. The world stood still in that moment, and all that mattered was their love. It was the most liberating and empowering feeling, to know so fully that she had found the love of her life. This was their moment, the one that would set them on the path to the rest of their lives, and when she pulled back she realized that was what her prize had meant. Emma had been given something to share with Killian and to make more memories, like the incredible, once in a lifetime ones they'd made from this show.

Running her fingers along his jaw, Emma gave a happy little sigh. The world was a magical place, and with Killian by her side, she knew it would stay that way. Whatever came next, whatever the universe had in store for their future, they would handle together, and Emma was certain they'd carve out the kind of happiness she'd always been looking for.

….

A few months later, when spring had sprung again in their little coastal town, Emma and Killian were married. The ceremony itself was small, only involving their closest friends and family, but it had been wonderful. The dress, the vows, the cake, all of it was out of one of Emma's grandest daydreams. Part of her hated to see the evening end, but since it had, she was now free to pursue this, a wedding night with the man who truly owned her heart.

"I'll never understand it," Killian said as he helped Emma remove the ivory lace gown she'd chosen.

"Understand what?" Emma asked, her voice breathier than usual as his fingertips grazed her bare skin.

"How I'm lucky enough to call you my wife. I don't deserve you Emma, but I will do everything in my power to give you the world."

Emma turned around, letting her dress fall to the ground and stepping out of it, moving close enough to him to pull him down for a kiss. How was she ever going to make him see that he was perfect for her just as he was?

"I don't need the world. I just need to know that you love me as much as I love you, for now and forever." Killian's hands ran across her back and he nodded.

"Always, Emma."

"Good. Now take me to bed, and remind me why I became _Mrs. Killian Jones_ today." The approving growl that ripped from his throat, coupled with Killian's stripping off his own clothes had Emma's whole body humming with anticipation.

Killian took her challenge seriously, stopping at nothing to give Emma a wedding night to remember. Despite how good things had always been between them, something had changed. Making their vows, and their promises to truly have forever made every touch all the more powerful. The sensations of his hands roaming across her body, and his mouth with kisses both gentle and demanding everywhere was only more affirmation that they'd been meant for each other. But where Emma wanted instant gratification, Killian wanted to draw this out, to make it last.

"Killian, it's too much!" _And not enough,_ she thought. Emma didn't think she'd ever get enough of him.

"Don't you trust me, Swan?" He asked as he kissed her inner thigh. He'd made her tumble into bliss twice already, but seemed uninterested in giving up that pursuit just yet.

"Yes," He moved his mouth to kiss her sex again and she arched towards him.

"Then let me give you this." The licks and sucks and intricate love he gave her with his mouth coupled with the reality that Killian was doing all of this to see her happy and sated, had Emma wild with emotion and hunger. He didn't relent, not until she'd shattered again, and only then did Emma get what she truly wanted, the two of them together as one chasing something they would share.

The night was filled with such exertions, flirting between languidness and a nearly rabid hunger, but hours later, when Emma was finally ready to succumb to sleep she whispered one last hope she had. It was for a child, one who would bring together all the best qualities of she and Killian, and no one could have been more enraptured with that idea than her doting husband, who promised her they'd have one very soon.

….

"Do you think they're ready for this, love?" Killian asked Emma as they drove down the main street of a small town in Oregon called Hampton. It was similar in size to Storybrooke, with a down-home, close community feel, but it would never compare in her book to the town they hailed from. She shook her head.

"No, I mean how can they be? They'll go from a place no one's heard of to an overnight sensation."

"I'm not sure about that. I mean, really, what are the odds that they can ever compare to what we had?" Killian made a good point. Their season had drama, conflict, and so much love it was borderline insane. In the year since the show began production in town, Emma's life had completely changed, as had many of the contestants and everyday townspeople. It wouldn't be easy to recreate that likeness.

"That's probably why we're here. To remind people of the fairytale they stumbled upon in a small town in Maine." Killian smiled and brought her hand to his lips in a gentle kiss. "Well that and Tiana was so busy with the café opening, she couldn't go."

"No offense to her, but I think we make for better television love. Everyone likes to see a success, but a newlywed marriage with children on the way probably beats out the start of a business."

Just the mention of their twins had Emma's hand moving to her stomach. She was so thrilled about this next step and about finally starting on the family she'd always dreamed of, but Killian was right, them being still so in love and even further on their way to happily ever after would be great for Liam and Tink, who were now co-EPs on the show.

As the car pulled up to Hampton's version of the big white tent, Emma was stuck by the familiarity of it all. For two months this had been her life, but just as easily it had faded away. In the time since the finale, she and Killian had had dozens of lazy Sundays, and restful weekends. They'd gone on an extended honeymoon through Europe and watched their friends who'd connected through the show all grow stronger in their own relationships. Their time on _The Great American Baking Show_ had become a sort of inside joke, something that came up every so often, but no one really lingered on. It was a moment in time that had passed, but standing here now, it kind of felt like being back at the beginning of the journey.

They were greeted by Tink and Liam and reunited with Graham and Ruby (who had been so beloved by the audience, that she was asked to stay on as a permanent host in lieu of finding someone from Hampton). The day went by rather enjoyably, and Emma and Killian were a part of bringing the new competitors into the arms of the show. They gave their little jokes, thanks to the same writer's who worked so diligently with Graham and Ruby, and in the end, they got to do one more testimonial. When it was all over, and all the questions had been asked, Emma surprised the others and herself with a request.

"Could I just say one more thing?" Tink nodded, signaling the cameras to remain on, and Emma took a second to look at Killian who was now off screen, before returning her gaze to Tink.

"I just wanted to say thank you, for everything. The good, the bad, and all of the stuff in between brought me to a life I didn't think I could have. I was just a girl who loved baking, and who thought this show would be a fun way to spend a couple months. I never dreamed it would become so much more than that. This show gave me the means to find my happily ever after, and even though it would have happened either way, you also gave us something incredibly powerful – a story that no one else has, something that Killian and I can share forever. Whether you have one season or a hundred more, I'll never forget it, and I'll always be grateful for what you've given me."

"So I was right then," Tink said as Emma finished her statement and took off her microphone. "You did end up happy." Emma pulled Killian close and just before she kissed him, she agreed.

"Yeah, I really did."

 _ **Post-Note: So there is the fluffy conclusion to this fun little fic. I hope that you guys enjoyed, and I have truly loved seeing how much of this fandom not only loves Captain Swan but also the original GBBO franchise. Thank you so much for joining me on this little journey and I hope you'll continue on with me in some of my other stories as well!**_


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